Graphene-analogue carbon nitride: novel exfoliation synthesis and its application in photocatalysis and photoelectrochemical selective detection of trace amount of Cu2+

Graphene-analogue nanostructures defined as a new kind of promising materials with unique electronic, surface and optical properties have received much attention in the fields of catalysis, energy storage, sensing and electronic devices. Due to the distinctive structure characteristics of the graphene-analogue materials, they brought novel and amazing properties. Herein, graphene-analogue carbon nitride (GA-C3N4) was synthesized by high-yield, large-scale thermal exfoliation from the graphitic C3N4-based intercalation compound. Graphene-analogue carbon nitride exhibited 2D thin-layer structure with 6–9 atomic thickness, a high specific surface area of 30.1 m2 g−1, increased photocurrent responses and improved electron transport ability, which could give rise to enhancing the photocatalytic activity and stability. The graphene-analogue carbon nitride had a new features that could make it suitable as a sensor for Cu2+ determination. So GA-C3N4 is a new but promising candidate for heavy metal ions (Cu2+) determination in water environment. The photocatalytic mechanism and photoelectrochemical selective sensing of Cu2+ were also discussed.