High N-containing porphyrinic C3N4 hybrid polymeric material as efficient photocatalyst for selective CO2 reduction

A new porphyrinic-C3N4 material was successfully synthesized using a new method and was characterized at each stage of the process using a range of spectroscopic techniques, including FT-IR and NMR. The XPS, SEM, and EDX studies of the material were also carried out which showed only one dominant morphology and the existence of C and N in the compound which confirm the formation of Por-C3N4. The material was loaded with Co2+ ions by mixing and stirring methanolic solution of Co(O2CH3).4H2O with DMF solution of por-C3N4 for 24 h and the resulting dried compound was subjected to carbonization. The PXRD pattern proved that Co-por-C3N4 did not degrade into oxide, hydroxide, or any other form of Co. The photocatalyst exhibited a higher selectivity for CO production of 11 μmol g−1 (at pH = 11) compared to 6.7 μmol g−1 (at pH = 8) from CO2. The result indicates the possibility of integrating the porphyrin component into C3N4 units via covalent attachment to create a 3D hybrid polymer which was described in the result and discussion section. This polymer shows promise in efficiently transforming CO2 into CO under visible light exposure, offering promising prospects for solar-driven CO production from CO2.