Synthesis of ultrathin porous g-C₃N₄ nanofilm via template-free method for photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline

Constructing high-performance visible-light responsive semiconductor photocatalysts for removing organic contamination from sewage has gained considerable attention recently. Herein, an ultrathin porous g-C₃N₄ nanofilm is fabricated via a facile template-free strategy and the large specific area, abundant nitrogen vacancies and ultrathin porous structure endow it with broad visible-light-responsive range, narrow bandgap as well as sufficient separation of photoinduced carriers. In consequence, the ultrathin porous g-C₃N₄ nanofilm exhibits prominent photocatalytic tetracycline (TC) degradation performance and high reaction rate constant under the visible light, which is upto 8.57 folds efficiency improvement over the bulk g-C₃N₄. Meanwhile, it also exhibits excellent performance with the irradiation of UV–vis light and actual sunlight. This work delivers a brand-new template-free approach to prepare ultrathin porous g-C₃N₄ nanofilm, and provides a deeper understanding of photocatalytic TC degradation for practical applications.