The effect of calcination temperature and atmosphere on the photocatalytic properties of g-C3N4

This study focused on the synthesis of g-C3N4 derived from three distinct precursors (dicyandiamide, melamine, urea). The synthesis was conducted through a thermal polymerization method under varying atmospheric conditions (air and nitrogen). The photocatalytic performance was assessed based on the assessment of the degradation rate of tetracycline, and the results revealed that g-C3N4 prepared at a calcination temperature of 550°C under nitrogen atmosphere exhibited the highest degradation rate of 59.9% within 60 min, using urea as precursor. Further analysis indicated that g-C3N4 synthesized via thermal polymerization under nitrogen atmosphere demonstrated a larger specific surface area, which could increase the active sites and enhance the photocatalytic activity.