| Title |
Understanding Structure-Activity Relationship in Pt-loaded g-C3N4 for Efficient Solar- Photoreforming of Polyethylene Terephthalate Plastic and Hydrogen Production |
| ID_Doc |
14034 |
| Authors |
Nguyen, TKA; Tran-Phú, T; Ta, XMC; Truong, TN; Leverett, J; Daiyan, R; Amal, R; Tricoli, A |
| Title |
Understanding Structure-Activity Relationship in Pt-loaded g-C3N4 for Efficient Solar- Photoreforming of Polyethylene Terephthalate Plastic and Hydrogen Production |
| Year |
2024 |
| Published |
Small Methods, 8, 2 |
| DOI |
10.1002/smtd.202300427 |
| Abstract |
Coupling the hydrogen evolution reaction with plastic waste photoreforming provides a synergistic path for simultaneous production of green hydrogen and recycling of post-consumer products, two major enablers for establishment of a circular economy. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a promising photocatalyst due to its suitable optoelectronic and physicochemical properties, and inexpensive fabrication. Herein, a mechanistic investigation of the structure-activity relationship of g-C3N4 for poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) photoreforming is reported by carefully controlling its fabrication from a subset of earth-abundant precursors, such as dicyandiamide, melamine, urea, and thiourea. These findings reveal that melamine-derived g-C3N4 with 3 wt.% Pt has significantly higher performance than alternative derivations, achieving a maximum hydrogen evolution rate of 7.33 mmolH2 gcat-1 h-1, and simultaneously photoconverting PET into valuable organic products including formate, glyoxal, and acetate, with excellent stability for over 30 h of continuous production. This is attributed to the higher crystallinity and associated chemical resistance of melamine-derived g-C3N4, playing a major role in stabilization of its morphology and surface properties. These new insights on the role of precursors and structural properties in dictating the photoactivity of g-C3N4 set the foundation for the further development of photocatalytic processes for combined green hydrogen production and plastic waste reforming. Here, a mechanistic investigation of the structure-activity properties of graphitic carbon nitride generated from earth-abundant precursors for simultaneous PET photoreforming and green hydrogen production is conducted. Melamine-derived g-C3N4 with 3 wt.% Pt shows the best photocatalytic activity and stability arising from its higher crystallinity and chemical stability.image |
| Author Keywords |
carbon nitride; PET; photoreforming; plastic waste; solar to hydrogen |
| Index Keywords |
Index Keywords |
| Document Type |
Other |
| Open Access |
Open Access |
| Source |
Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) |
| EID |
WOS:001065563500001 |
| WoS Category |
Chemistry, Physical; Nanoscience & Nanotechnology; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary |
| Research Area |
Chemistry; Science & Technology - Other Topics; Materials Science |
| PDF |
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/smtd.202300427
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