Open Access Conference Proceedings

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is an intensively studied photocatalyst active in the visible spectrum range. The most commonly used method for g-C3N4 preparation is the thermal polycondensation of melamine at temperatures in the range of 500–600°C, resulting in the so-called bulk g-C3N4. Such prepared g-C3N4 suffers from low photodegradation activity, mainly due to its low specific surface area and fast e-/h+ charge carriers recombination. One way to suppress electron-hole recombination is to prepare composite materials in which g-C3N4 is combined with another semiconductor, such as TiO₂, and ZnO. These composites are often prepared from individual components by their mechanical mixing followed by heat-treatment of the prepared mixture. This paper focuses on the study of the thermal stability of g-C3N4 in the presence of TiO2, Fe2O3, ZnO, SiO2, and Al2O3. The prepared mixtures of g-C3N4 with the corresponding oxide phase were subjected to simultaneous thermal analysis at temperatures up to 1000°C, and also heated in a muffle furnace at 400, 450, and 500°C. The results indicate the negative effect of TiO2 and Fe2O3 on the thermal stability of g-C3N4, while ZnO, SiO2, and Al2O3 did not show this effect.

Keywords: g-C3N4, composites, thermal stability, characterization

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