An Investigation into the Stability of Graphitic C3N4 as a Photocatalyst for CO2 Reduction

The increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere exerts a significant influence on global warming and climate change. The capture and utilization of CO2 by conversion to useful products is an area of active research. In this work, the photodriven reduction of CO2 was investigated using graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) as a potential photocatalyst. The photocatalytic reduction of CO2 was investigated with g-C3N4 powder immobilized on a glass support in a batch gas-phase photoreactor. The experiments were carried out under UV-vis irradiation at 70 degrees C and an initial pressure of 2.5 bar. The only gas-phase product detected during the irradiation of the g-C3N4 in the presence of CO2 was CO2 and the rate of production was observed to decrease over time. Oxygen-doped g-C3N4 was also tested for CO2 reduction but had efficiency lower than that of the parent g-C3N4. Repeated cycles of photocatalytic CO2 reduction showed a decline in the activity of the g-C3N4. In the absence of CO2 some CO generation was also observed. Characterization of used and unused materials, using FTIR and XPS, showed an increase in the oxygen functional groups following UV-vis irradiation or thermal treatment. While others report the use of g-C3N4 as a photocatalyst, this work highlights the important need for replicates and control testing to determine material stability.