Effect of Urea Concentration on The Formation of g-C3N4 Modified Titania Nanotubes

Abstract

Titania nanotubes (TNTs) have garnered significant attention owing to their impressive characteristics, including a substantial specific surface area, heightened photocatalytic capabilities, and notable chemical stability. Additionally, they are non-toxic and abundant. These outstanding properties have led to widespread utilization in various applications, particularly in industrial applications such as wastewater treatment, photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, and CO2 reduction. Despite these advantages, TNTs encounter challenges due to their wide bandgap (3.2 eV) and the swift recombination of electron-hole pairs, limiting their efficacy under visible light. To address these constraints, researchers have concentrated on augmenting the photocatalytic activity of TNTs through the modification of TNTs with graphite-carbon nitride (g-C3N4) followed by characterization of the physicochemical properties of g-C3N4 modified TNTs (g-C3N4/TNT). In this study, urea was employed as the precursor for the formation of g-C3N4/TNT. Given the significant influence of synthesis conditions on the structural and morphological characteristics of g-C3N4/TNT, the use of urea as a precursor for g-C3N4 was varied to investigate its impact on the formation of g-C3N4/TNT.