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  • Emerging investigators series: advances and challenges of graphitic carbon nitride as a visible-light-responsive photocatalyst for sustainable water purification
Title: Emerging investigators series: advances and challenges of graphitic carbon nitride as a visible-light-responsive photocatalyst for sustainable water purification
Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) is an emerging visible-light-responsive photocatalyst that has been explored since 2009. This photocatalyst has highly tailorable structures and properties that enable potential utilization of a large portion of solar energy. This material is also synthesized from earth-abundant precursors, is chemically and thermally stable, and is biocompatible with no reported toxicity to date. The merits and pioneering performance evaluation of g-C 3 N 4 indicate that this photocatalyst holds promise for the degradation of persistent and emerging contaminants, including chemicals and pathogens, for sustainable water purification with reduced energy and chemical footprint. In this perspective, we propose and answer five questions that are most relevant to the development and application of g-C 3 N 4 for photocatalytic water purification, including both benefits and current barriers, from molecular-scale mechanistic understanding of g-C 3 N 4 properties and photocatalytic performance to industrial-scale photoreactor design for g-C 3 N 4 implementation in practice.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1604886 1437989
PAR ID:
10037303
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol.
ISSN:
2053-1400
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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