Coral-like potassium and phosphorous doped graphitic carbon nitride structures with enhanced charge and mass transfer dynamics toward photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide production and microbial disinfection

This study provided insight on the design of co-doped graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) structures by using potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4) as a promising material for the supply of potassium (K) and phosphorus (P) elements. The addition of KH2PO4 to the cyanuric acid-melamine complex (CM) solution stabilized its structure by coordinating potassium ions (K+) in the hexagonal pores and dihydrogen phosphate ions (H2PO4-) in dangling bonds on the edge sites. The resultant supramolecular structure (KP-CM) with a unique skeleton governed the polycondensation process, resulting in K and P co-doped g-C3N4 structures with a distinct coral-like morphology (KP-CN). Employing the KP-CM complex as a precursor could modify the optoelectronic behaviour of the photocatalysts via the synergistic effect of the co-doping process. It could also be beneficial in terms of economic considerations by increasing the catalyst synthesis yield. The resulting g-C3N4 showed a remarkable hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production rate of 216 mmol L-1h-1 compared to the rate of the pristine sample of 137 mmol L-1h-1. It also exhibited significant photocatalytic antibacterial activity in Escherichia coli (E. coli) disinfection.

Automated summary

This study provides insights into the design of co-doped g-C3N4 structures using KH2PO4 as a promising material. The addition of KH2PO4 stabilizes the structure of the CM solution and results in co-doped g-C3N4 structures with a distinct morphology. The resulting structures show enhanced photocatalytic and antibacterial activities.