Water-plasma-activated g-C3N4 for enhanced photodegradation of bisphenol A synergized with persulfate oxidation

Herein, a facile water-plasma strategy is employed to modify the surface structure of graphite-carbon nitride (g-C3N4) to enhance its photocatalytic performance for persulfate activation. High energy electrons and highly active free radicals from water-plasma discharge not only induce nitrogen vacancies, but also generate hydrophilic groups on g-C3N4 surface, which can effectively modulate the energy levels, facilitate the interaction of water with catalyst, and meanwhile promote the separation and transfer of photogenerated charge carriers. When used for bisphenol A (BPA) degradation, water-plasma-activated g-C3N4 exhibits 4.5-fold enhancement of reaction rate compared to that of pristine g-C3N4. This work offers deep insights into in-situ defect engineering of g-C3N4 as Fenton-like catalyst.

Automated summary

In this study, a facile water-plasma strategy was used to modify the surface structure of g-C3N4, resulting in enhanced photocatalytic performance for persulfate activation. The water-plasma discharge induced nitrogen vacancies and generated hydrophilic groups on the g-C3N4 surface, which effectively modulated the energy levels, facilitated the interaction of water with the catalyst, and promoted the separation and transfer of photogenerated charge carriers. The water-plasma-activated g-C3N4 exhibited a 4.5-fold enhancement in reaction rate compared to pristine g-C3N4 when used for bisphenol A degradation. This work provides insights into in-situ defect engineering of g-C3N4 as a Fenton-like catalyst.