Tailored amorphization of graphitic carbon nitride triggers superior photocatalytic C-C coupling towards the synthesis of perfluoroalkyl derivatives

In this work, we explored a post-synthetic modification of the well-known graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) by means of an amorphization treatment and evaluate the resulting change in photocatalytic activity towards the synthesis of valuable perfluoroalkyl derivatives. The as-prepared super-amorphous CN (SACN) exhibits a significant increase of the photocatalytic activity (up to a six-fold enhancement with the optimum structure with respect to g-CN), which originates from the lower degree of crystallinity of the CN and its reduced bandgap. The SACN photocatalysts display versatility and good tolerance towards functional group variations of the reagents, emerging as a potential new benchmark CN structure for heterogeneous organic photocatalysis.

Automated summary

In this study, a post-synthetic modification of graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) through amorphization treatment resulted in an increase in photocatalytic activity towards the synthesis of valuable perfluoroalkyl derivatives. The super-amorphous CN (SACN) showed significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity due to its lower crystallinity and reduced bandgap, making it a potential benchmark structure for heterogeneous organic photocatalysis with good versatility and tolerance towards functional group variations of reagents.