β-Carbon nitride nanoflake with enhanced visible light emission

Abstract

In this study, for the first time, β-carbon nitride nanoflake was synthesized using thermal oxidation of guanidinium chloride. To make the structural, morphological characteristics, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) were performed. Experimental results showed that according to lattice parameters, the synthesized C3N4 compound has “beta” phase with a size of above 12 nm. Optical properties were analyzed using UV–Vis, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The PL emission of synthesized sample excited with different wavelengths showed that the main peaks for carbon nitride nanoflakes appeared in the range 400–600 nm which opens up its application beyond the conventional catalysis scopes.