Thermal copolymerization of urea with aromatic compounds to modify g-C3N4 for Cr(VI) removal
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Abstract
Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has attracted considerable attention as a photocatalyst for the reduction of toxic Cr(VI) to less harmful Cr(III) due to its visible-light response, chemical stability, and low toxicity. However, its practical application is limited by the rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. In this study, g-C3N4 was modified by thermal copolymerization of urea with two aromatic additives, 2-amino-5-nitrothiazole (ANT) and 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN), using 10 or 50 mg of additive per 20 g of urea. The obtained materials were characterized by EDX, XRD, FTIR, FESEM, DRS, and PL spectroscopy. Photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction was evaluated under simulated solar irradiation at pH 3.0 ± 0.1 in the presence of citric acid. Structural characterization confirmed preservation of the g-C3N4 framework after modification, while only minor changes in morphology and optical properties were observed. All modified samples were photocatalytically active, with the DHN-modified sample containing 50 mg additive showing the highest activity. The results indicate that ANT is difficult to incorporate into the g-C3N4 structure, whereas DHN modification reduces charge-carrier recombination and enhances photocatalytic performance.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license 4.0 that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
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Ministarstvo Prosvete, Nauke i Tehnološkog Razvoja
Grant numbers 451-03-34/2026-03/200135;451-03-33/2026-03/200287
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