Synthesis of O,F Co-Modified g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> for Photocatalytic H<sub>2</sub> Evolution Activity Improvement and Corrosion Protection

Herein, we report the rational synthesis of porous g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> co-modified with oxygen (O) and fluorine (F) for the first time. Incorporating colloidal SiO<sub>2</sub> during thermal polymerization introduces lattice oxygen, forming C–O bonds, whi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shiyu Zhou, Pei Li, Chunbo Zhang, Yang Wang, Jingting Hu, Ruokun Jia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Crystals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/14/12/1063
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Summary:Herein, we report the rational synthesis of porous g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> co-modified with oxygen (O) and fluorine (F) for the first time. Incorporating colloidal SiO<sub>2</sub> during thermal polymerization introduces lattice oxygen, forming C–O bonds, while post-treatment with NH<sub>4</sub>·HF<sub>2</sub> establishes C–F bonds. The dual incorporation of O and F elements extends visible light absorption and effectively promotes the separation and transport of photoexcited charge carriers. Consequently, the co-modified g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> (O,F-g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub>) achieves a 13.2-fold increase in H<sub>2</sub> evolution rate compared to pristine g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub>. This synthesized O,F-g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> is then dispersed in waterborne polyurethane (WPU) to create an anti-corrosive coating for Q235 carbon steel substrates. Water resistance, mechanical property, and electrochemical characterization analyses reveal that the O,F-g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub>/WPU composite coating exhibits remarkable corrosion resistance with a high protection efficiency of 90.23%. This work offers a straightforward approach for developing highly efficient g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub>-based photocatalysts and corrosion-resistant coatings.
ISSN:2073-4352