Controllable Acid Activation of Sulfur-Doped Carbon Nitride Enables Enhancement in Photocatalytic Indigo Carmine Degradation Performance
Serge Benedoue, Julius Nsami Ndi, Min Ge, Zhihong Tian, Christian Brice Dantio Nguela, Haijian Tong, Anna Lo Presti, Markus Antonietti, Horace Manga Ngomo, Christian Mark Pelicano
Abstract
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Herein, we introduce a controllable acid activation method of sulfur-doped carbon nitride (CN T ) to enhance its photodegradation efficiency for indigo carmine. We establish that the surface functionalization of sulfur-doped carbon nitride using a diluted H 2 SO 4 /H 2 O 2 aqueous solution treatment extends visible light absorption, promotes charge separation, and enables improvement in photocatalytic activity. More specifically, the optimal sample (E 1 -CN T ) exhibits a remarkable indigo carmine degradation performance of 96.27% (at 25 ppm) within 40 min under UV light irradiation, comparable to the top-performing photocatalysts reported in the literature. The apparent first-order rate constants of E 1 -CN T are 2× and 3.6× higher than those of unmodified CN T and bulk CN from melamine, respectively. This work provides new insights into designing simple, affordable, highly active, and metal-free materials toward sustainable environmental remediation.