Graphitic carbon nitride: a sustainable photocatalyst for organic pollutant degradation and antibacterial applications

Recently, graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) has been found to be of great interest in various sustainable applications. In this study, a simple preparation method using urea was utilized to synthesize GCN. In order to understand various morphological, structural, and optical aspects of the as-prepared sample, GCN was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Brunauere-Emmette-Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and diffused reflectance spectra (DRS) analysis. The visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity of prepared GCN was analyzed for various cationic dyes (Crystal violet, rose bengal, rhodamine B, auramine O, methylene blue) and anionic dyes (phenol red, xylenol orange, cresol red, methyl orange). The calculated efficiencies of degradation and values of apparent rate constant for all dye samples suggested that cationic dyes are more actively degraded using GCN than anionic dyes. In addition, GCN was further analyzed for its splendid antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria (Klebsiella pneumoniaandEscherichia coli). The synthesized photocatalyst holds a bright scope for the efficient remediation of organic pollutants and bacterial disinfection in wastewater.

Automated summary

Graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) has shown great potential in photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes and antibacterial activities, particularly in degrading cationic dyes efficiently. The synthesized GCN holds promise for effective remediation of organic pollutants and bacterial disinfection in wastewater treatment applications.