Preparation of Li-doped graphitic carbon nitride with enhanced visible-light photoactivity

A Li-doped graphitic carbon nitride (g-CNLi) was synthesized through a two-step method including the first ionothermal route and the following H2O2 treatment. Characterizations indicate that the crystal structure of g-CNLi resembles the intermediate without H(2)O(2 )treatment. However, compared to pristine graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN), g-(CNLi )presents significantly visible-light absorption enhancement. As a consequence, the photodegradation of methylene blue by g-CNLi is greatly improved under visible-light irradiation. Furthermore, Li atoms doping into g-CN might be responsible for the optical property of g-CNLi. The present work could provide a new insight into optimizing photocatalyst for efficient solar light utilization. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.