Influence of g-C3N4 on the structural, optical, and morphological features of g-C3N4/ZnO nanocomposites

Abstract

Zinc Oxide (ZnO) is a low-cost, transparent II-VI semiconductor with excellent chemical and thermal stability, making it appropriate for diverse applications such as photocatalysis, gas sensing, anti-corrosion coatings, and antimicrobial agents. Graphitic Carbon Nitride (g-C₃N₄) is a polymeric nanomaterial with a crystal structure analogous to graphite with sp² hybrid carbon and nitrogen atoms that can be easily synthesized by thermal decomposition of precursors with high nitrogen content. In this report, g-C₃N₄/ZnO nanocomposites (NCs) are prepared through a chemical co-precipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–Visible Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (UV-DRS), Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (PL), and X-ray photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) techniques were used for the characterization of the synthesized nanocomposites. All the studies confirm the successful coupling between g-C₃N₄ and ZnO nanostructures and the modification in the structural, optical, and morphological properties via g-C₃N₄ incorporation.