Flexible carbon-fiber/g-C3N4 nanosheet array as recyclable photocatalysts and photoelectrocatalysts

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 21090 - 13
• Main Authors: Xi, Xiaojing, Lu, Zhaoming, Chen, Hua-Jun, Tian, Wenjie, Yang, Yan-Ling
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.07.2025; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/301; 704/172; Flexible carbon-fiber; g-C3N4 nanosheet; Humanities and Social Sciences; multidisciplinary; Photocatalyst; Photoelectrocatalyst; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Flexible carbon-fiber; Photoelectrocatalyst; g-C; nanosheet; Photocatalyst; N
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-04701-1

In the field of photocatalytic degradation, the separation and recycle technology of powdery g-C 3 N 4 after usage has not been mature so far as well as the secondary pollution problems for large-scale industrial applications. In this thesis, through depositing g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets onto the surface of flexible carbon fiber textiles using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, separable and recyclable carbon-fiber/g-C 3 N 4 nanosheet array was fabricated by method. The photocatalytic, electrocatalytic, and photoelectrocatalytic performance of carbon-fiber/g-C 3 N 4 nanosheet array are studied. The results of in-situ XPS spectra confirm that the photoexcited electrons migrate from g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets to carbon fibers in the carbon-fiber/g-C 3 N 4 nanosheet array under light illumination, which enhances the separation of photo-generated electrons and holes. The applied potential further accelerates the migration of photogenerated electrons towards the cathode, thereby fostering a synergistic interplay between electrochemical and photophysical processes. Upon completion of a 240-minute photoelectrocatalytic treatment, the degradation efficiency of 2,4-dinitrophenol attains a remarkable 99.5% level. The assembly strategy developed herein significantly reduce the separable and recyclable cost of powdery photocatalysts and offer valuables references for industrial application of photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis. Our method may provide a general methodology in the design of separable and recyclable photocatalysts with broad applications in environment-related fields.