An Investigation into the Stability of Graphitic C3N4 as a Photocatalyst for CO2 Reduction

The increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere exerts a significant influence on global warming and climate change. The capture and utilization of CO2 by conversion to useful products is an area of active research. In this work, the photo-driven reduction of CO2 was investigated using graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) as a potential photocatalyst. The photocatalytic reduction of CO2 was investigated with g-C3N4 powder immobilized on a glass support in a batch gas phase photoreactor. The experiments were carried out under UV-Vis irradiation at 70°C and an initial pressure of 2.5 bar. The only gas phase product detected during the irradiation of the g-C3N4 in the presence of CO2 was CO, and the rate of production was observed to decrease over time. Oxygen doped g-C3N4 was also tested for CO2 reduction but had lower efficiency that the parent g-C3N4. Repeated cycles of photocatalytic CO2 reduction showed a decline in the activity of the g-C3N4. In the absence of CO2 some CO generation was also observed. Characterization of used and unused materials, using FTIR and XPS, showed an increase in the oxygen functional groups following UV-Vis irradiation or thermal treatment. While others report the use of g-C3N4 as a photocatalyst, this work highlights the important need for replicates and control testing to determine material stability.