Single-crystalline melem (C6N10H6) nanorods: a novel stable molecular crystal photocatalyst with modulated charge potentials and dynamics

Renbo Lei; Bingsheng Du; Xiaofang Lai; Jing Wu; Zhihua Zhang; Shengwei Liu; Rong Wu; Xin Li; Bo Song; Jikang Jian

doi:10.1039/C9TA02556A

Single-crystalline melem (C₆N₁₀H₆) nanorods: a novel stable molecular crystal photocatalyst with modulated charge potentials and dynamics†

Renbo Lei,^a Bingsheng Du,^a Xiaofang Lai,^a Jing Wu,^a Zhihua Zhang,^b Shengwei Liu,

*^c Rong Wu,^d Xin Li,

^e Bo Song

*^f and Jikang Jian

*^a

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
E-mail: jianjikang@gdut.edu.cn

^b Liaoning Key Materials Laboratory for Railway, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian 116028, P. R. China

^c School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
E-mail: liushw6@mail.sysu.edu.cn

^d Key Laboratory of Solid-State Physics and Devices, School of Physical Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, P. R. China

^e College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Key Laboratory of Energy Plants Resource and Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, P. R. China

^f National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Advanced Composites in Special Environments, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, P. R. China
E-mail: songbo@hit.edu.cn

Abstract

It is still challenging to control the crystallization and morphologies of molecular crystal nanostructures with excellent photocatalytic activities. In this study, single-crystalline melem (C₆N₁₀H₆) nanorods (MNRs) were prepared by a facile thermal polymerization route under a flowing argon atmosphere. Compared with the bulk melem counterpart and g-C₃N₄, the MNRs exhibited substantially improved efficiency and stability towards the photodegradation of diverse organic pollutants including methyl orange, rhodamine B, and methylene blue. Moreover, the average photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of MNRs was about 2.6 folds higher than that of bulk melem under the same conditions. The enhanced photocatalytic redox performance of MNRs arises from the single-crystal nature and novel one-dimensional (1D) nanorod morphology, contributing to elevated conduction band potentials and promoting charge transport dynamics. This study not only reports single-crystalline melem 1D nanostructures as novel highly efficient and stable molecular-crystal photocatalysts, but also reveals the important roles of synergetic tuning of charge potentials and dynamics in enhancing the photocatalytic activity of molecular-crystal photocatalysts.

Journal of Materials Chemistry A

Single-crystalline melem (C₆N₁₀H₆) nanorods: a novel stable molecular crystal photocatalyst with modulated charge potentials and dynamics†

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Single-crystalline melem (C₆N₁₀H₆) nanorods: a novel stable molecular crystal photocatalyst with modulated charge potentials and dynamics

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Journal of Materials Chemistry A