Synthesis of plasmonic hybrid novel polymeric graphitic carbon nitride/TiO2 photocatalyst and its engineering applications

Among various kinds of photocatalytic semiconductors, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-based photocatalysts have become the most attractive “celebrity” because of their stable chemical properties, appropriate band structure, and facile synthesis. Here, we synthesized and fabricated g-C3N4/TiO2 composite photocatalytic materials based on by a facile and efficient method. Polymeric g-C3N4/TiO2 layered materials with high surface areas (up to 86.6m2 g-1) have been successfully synthesized from an oxygen-containing precursor by directly heating urea in air between 450 and 600oCC for the first time. The g-C3N4 materials have a band gap around 2.7 eV that is reduced to 2.53 eV in g-C3N4/TiO2 heterogeneous composite, suitable for visible light utilization.

The design ideas and preparation methods of g-C3N4-based photocatalysts have been summarized, including morphology control of a three-dimensional structure, active site engineering, defect/vacancy engineering, and interface engineering. In addition, the typical applications of g-C3N4/TiO2 composite photocatalysts are also discussed here from engineering applications perspectives, involving water splitting (overall water splitting, H2 evolution, O2 evolution) and organic transformation reactions (oxidation reaction, reduction reaction, coupling reaction), and degradation of organic pollutants. The impact of incorpoting of TiO2 in g-C3N4 and vacancy creation on the distribution of molecular orbitals, density of states (DOS), and adsorption energy on the polymer surface is investigated using computational calculations based on first principles and density functional theory (DFT).

Dr. Ardhendu S. Giri completed his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at IIT Guwahati. Presently, he is working as Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal. Dr. Giri focuses his research areas on Photocatalysis and Energy production, Polymeric Nanocomposites, Photoelectrochemical Cell, Chemical and Biosensors, Environ. Biotechnology, AOPs and Water purification. He has published more than 25 scientific research articles in international-journals and conference proceedings and 05 book chapters and accolades many awards from NIT Rourkela and IIT Guwahati by presenting best paper in an international symposium, for becoming Editorial Board Member of many prestigious journals like International Journal of Environmental Chemistry and International Journal of Analytical and Applied Chemistry. He is also a potential reviewer of the different prestigious journals like Environmental Progress and Sustainable Energy (AIChE), Chemical Engineering Journal (Elsevier), Analytical Methods (Royal Society of Chemistry), Chemosphere (Elsevier) and Water Environment Research (Wiley) ect. His ongoing assignments include preparation, fabrication, characterization and application of different heterogeneous photo catalyst maid by transition metals. Presently, he is working on development of a combined AOP-biological method for different type of drugs delivery and their conversion into energy from an aquatic environment.

Dr. Giri’s ongoing research are focusing on the synthesis and development of nanomaterials as photocatalysts used for electrochemical and biological sensing, and for catalytic applications. Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs)-metal chelates formation and their impact on the mineralization efficiency and reduction of antimicrobial activity also gives new flavors in our present work. His efforts are also directed towards the production of green hydrogen (H2) and value- added products through both photo-electrochemical water splitting and biomass conversion.