Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Thermodynamic Equilibria in Carbon Nitride Photocatalyst Materials and Conditions for the Existence of Graphitic Carbon Nitride g-C3N4

Publication ,  Journal Article
Botari, T; Huhn, WP; Lau, VWH; Lotsch, BV; Blum, V
Published in: Chemistry of Materials
May 23, 2017

We quantify the thermodynamic equilibrium conditions that govern the formation of crystalline heptazine-based carbon nitride materials, currently of enormous interest for photocatalytic applications including solar hydrogen evolution. Key phases studied include the monomeric phase melem, the 1D polymer melon, and the hypothetical hydrogen-free 2D graphitic carbon nitride phase "g-C3N4". Our study is based on density functional theory including van der Waals dispersion terms with different experimental conditions represented by the chemical potential of NH3. Graphitic carbon nitride is the subject of a vast number of studies, but its existence is still controversial. We show that typical conditions found in experiments pertain to the polymer melon (2D planes of 1D hydrogen-bonded polymer strands). In contrast, equilibrium synthesis of heptazine (h)-based g-h-C3N4 below its experimentally known decomposition temperature requires much less likely conditions, equivalent to low NH3 partial pressures around 1 Pa at 500 °C and around 103 Pa even at 700 °C. A recently reported synthesis of triazine (t)-based g-t-C3N4 in a salt melt is interpreted as a consequence of the altered local chemical environment of the C3N4 nanocrystallites.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Chemistry of Materials

DOI

EISSN

1520-5002

ISSN

0897-4756

Publication Date

May 23, 2017

Volume

29

Issue

10

Start / End Page

4445 / 4453

Related Subject Headings

  • Materials
  • 40 Engineering
  • 34 Chemical sciences
  • 09 Engineering
  • 03 Chemical Sciences
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Botari, T., Huhn, W. P., Lau, V. W. H., Lotsch, B. V., & Blum, V. (2017). Thermodynamic Equilibria in Carbon Nitride Photocatalyst Materials and Conditions for the Existence of Graphitic Carbon Nitride g-C3N4. Chemistry of Materials, 29(10), 4445–4453. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.7b00965
Botari, T., W. P. Huhn, V. W. H. Lau, B. V. Lotsch, and V. Blum. “Thermodynamic Equilibria in Carbon Nitride Photocatalyst Materials and Conditions for the Existence of Graphitic Carbon Nitride g-C3N4.” Chemistry of Materials 29, no. 10 (May 23, 2017): 4445–53. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.7b00965.
Botari T, Huhn WP, Lau VWH, Lotsch BV, Blum V. Thermodynamic Equilibria in Carbon Nitride Photocatalyst Materials and Conditions for the Existence of Graphitic Carbon Nitride g-C3N4. Chemistry of Materials. 2017 May 23;29(10):4445–53.
Botari, T., et al. “Thermodynamic Equilibria in Carbon Nitride Photocatalyst Materials and Conditions for the Existence of Graphitic Carbon Nitride g-C3N4.” Chemistry of Materials, vol. 29, no. 10, May 2017, pp. 4445–53. Scopus, doi:10.1021/acs.chemmater.7b00965.
Botari T, Huhn WP, Lau VWH, Lotsch BV, Blum V. Thermodynamic Equilibria in Carbon Nitride Photocatalyst Materials and Conditions for the Existence of Graphitic Carbon Nitride g-C3N4. Chemistry of Materials. 2017 May 23;29(10):4445–4453.
Journal cover image

Published In

Chemistry of Materials

DOI

EISSN

1520-5002

ISSN

0897-4756

Publication Date

May 23, 2017

Volume

29

Issue

10

Start / End Page

4445 / 4453

Related Subject Headings

  • Materials
  • 40 Engineering
  • 34 Chemical sciences
  • 09 Engineering
  • 03 Chemical Sciences