Biomimetic synthesis of 2D/2D mixed graphitic carbon nitride /carbonized polydopamine nanosheets with excellent photocatalytic performance

In recent years, exploring efficacious visible-light photocatalysis has been one of core concerns owing to potential applications for energy utilization and environmental remediation. Among all nanostructured photocatalysts, the nano-hierarchical material composed of two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets is terrific owing to abundant 2D coupling interfaces that can decrease the diffusion distance of photogenerated carriers and facilitate the interfacial electronic transfer. Herein, utilizing the biomimetic adhesion, 2D/2D graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet/ carbonized polydopamine (CNNS/CPDA) nanocomposites were fabricated via the dopamine (DA) self-polymerization on the surface of graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) followed by carbonization and delamination. Wherein CPDA acts a crucial role for the reinforcement of photocatalytic degradation activity in CNNS/CPDA nanocomposites. On the one hand, CPDA has strong adsorption capacity that can accelerate the adsorption and degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) molecules. On the other hand, as one of carbon materials, CPDA has high conductivity and contacts with CNNS tightly, which is conducive to the transfer of photo-induced carriers. Hence, for the optimal CNNS/CPDA nanocomposite (CNNS/CPDA-2), the RhB degradation rate (0.0466 min(-1)) is 5.1 times as high as that of pure GCN. This kind of 2D/2D nanocomposites based on one-pot biomimetic strategy may hold significant promise in practical applications of water treatment.