Recent Advances in Carbon Nitride-based Nanomaterials for the Removal of Heavy Metal Ions from Aqueous Solution

Graphitic-like carbon nitride (g-C3N4), one of the most significant two-dimensional layered materials, has attracted worldwide attention in multidisciplinary areas such as photocatalysis, energy conversion and environmental pollution management. Its derivative compounds have also attracted multifarious attention owing to the intrinsic characters of their stable physicochemical properties, low cost and environmentally friendly features. This review focus on the design of high-performance g-C3N4-based nanomaterials and their potential for pollutant elimination in environmental pollution cleanup. Over the past few years, significant advances have been achieved to synthesize g-C3N4 and g-C3N4-based nanomaterials, and their properties have been enhanced and characterized in detail. In this review, recent developments in the synthesis and modification of g-C3N4-based nanomaterials are summarized. The applications in heavy metal ions adsorption from wastewaters are gathered and their underlying reaction mechanisms are discussed. Finally, a summary and outlook are also briefly illustrated.