Metal-Free C60-Doped Mesoporous Carbon Nitride Drives Red-Light Photocatalysis

Abstract

The pursuit of novel strategies for synthesizing high-performance nanostructures of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) has garnered increasing scholarly attention in the field of photocatalysis. Herein, we have successfully designed a metal-free photocatalyst by integrating mesoporous carbon nitride (mpg-C₃N₄) and C₆₀ through a straightforward and innovative method, marking the first instance of such an achievement. Under red light, the C₆₀/mpg-C₃N₄ composite exhibited a significantly accelerated rhodamine B (RhB) photodecomposition rate, surpassing bulk g-C₃N₄ by more than 25.8 times and outperforming pure mpg-C₃N₄ by 7.8 times. The synergistic effect of C₆₀ and the mesoporous structure significantly enhanced the photocatalytic performance of g-C₃N₄ by adjusting its electronic structure, broadening the light absorption range, increasing the active sites, and reducing the recombination of photogenerated carriers. This work presents a promising avenue for harnessing a metal-free, stable, efficient photocatalyst driven by red light, with potential for enhancing solar energy utilization in environmental remediation.