Enhanced Dispersibility of Graphitic Carbon Nitride Particles in Aqueous and Organic Media via a One-Pot Grafting Approach

A facile route to synthesize hydrophilically or hydrophobically grafted graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) is reported. For this purpose, functionalized olefinic molecules with a low polymerization tendency are utilized for grafting onto the surface to preserve the features of g-CN while improving its dispersibility. One-pot, visible light-induced grafting yields highly dispersible g-CNs either in aqueous or organic media. Moreover, functional groups such as amines can be introduced, which yields pH-dependent dispersibility in aqueous media. Compared with unfunctionalized g-CN, low sonication times are sufficient to redisperse g-CN. In addition, because of increased dispersion stability, higher amounts of functionalized g-CN can be dispersed (up to 10% in aqueous dispersion and 2% in organic dispersion) when compared to unfunctionalized g-CN.