V2O5-assisted thermal oxidation strategy for synthesizing porous carbon nitride with enhanced photocatalytic NO removal performance

Designing porous structures has proven to be an effective strategy for enhancing the photocatalytic NO oxidation activity of carbon nitride (CN). Despite significant advances in the fabrication of porous CN, a cost-effective and high-yield synthesis method for porous CN is still highly desirable. In this study, we presented a facile strategy to synthesize porous carbon nitride by V 2 O 5 -assisted thermal oxidation process. Namely, after grinding bulk CN with a small amount of NH 4 VO 3 , the mixture was subjected to thermal treatment, resulting in porous carbon nitride with a yield of 50 %. The resulting porous structure, which features an enlarged surface area and enhanced charge separation efficiency, significantly improved the photocatalytic performance for NO removal—approximately four times higher than bulk CN. Additionally, the NO removal mechanism was investigated through in-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to observe reaction intermediates and electron paramagnetic resonance trapping experiments to identify active species, providing insight into the conversion pathway. The catalytic thermal oxidation etching process effectively tuned the microstructure of g-C₃N₄, offering a low-cost, easy-to-implement, and time-efficient method for synthesizing porous CN, thereby providing a promising approach for developing advanced photocatalysts. Catalyst-assisted thermal oxidation etching is an effective method for fabricating porous carbon nitride with improved photocatalytic performance for NO removal.