Novel fibrous graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) derivatives prepared from metal organic frameworks (MOFs) were doped with Ce3+ (Ce-C3N4) as photocatalytic materials. Ce-C3N4 was characterized using various techniques, revealing its high specific surface area, excellent photocatalytic activity, and stability for H2 evolution under visible light irradiation. The fluorine modified samples show superior photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation, which is due to the presence of more active sites and enhanced absorption of solar energy. This work provides a new synthetic route for MOF-derived g-C3N4 that can be doped with different metal ions. The fluorine modified Ce-C3N4 is an efficient photocatalyst with potential for many applications related to energy and the environment.
Graphene fiber-based supercapacitors are known as the potential energy resources for wearable/flexible electronics. However, increasing their specific capacitance and energy density remains a significant challenge. This paper indicates a double layer capacitance of the graphene nanosheets accompanied by pseudocapacitive behavior of the polyaniline to prepare composite fibers with high capacitive response. The polyaniline/graphene composite fibers (PANI/GFs) were synthesized by the self-assembled strategy and chemical reduction by HI. The wrinkle architecture of graphene nanosheets and uniform dispersion of the polyaniline are beneficial to increase the internal electroactive sites and provide a stable structure for the composite fibers. The constructed fiber-shaped supercapacitors with solid-state electrolyte deliver an excellent areal specific capacitance of 370.2 mF cm−2 and an outstanding areal energy density of 12.9 μW h cm−2. The current work reveals the attractive potential of the as-synthesized composite fibers for constructing fiber-shaped supercapacitors with distinguished electrochemical performance, which can be applied in future flexible electronics.
Photochromic materials have attracted increasing attention. Here, we report a novel photo-reversible color switching system based on oxygen-vacancy-engineered MoOx nanostructures with water/N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as solvents. In this work, the system rapidly changed from colorless to blue under UV irradiation (360–400 nm) and slowly recovered its colorless state under visible light irradiation. The obtained oxygen vacancy-engineered MoOx nanostructures exhibited good repeatability, chemical stability, and cycling stability. Upon UV light irradiation, H+ was intercalated into layered MoOx nanostructures and the Mo6+ concentration in the HxMoOx decreased, while the Mo5+ concentration increased and increased oxygen vacancies changed the color to blue. Then, it recovered its original color slowly without UV light irradiation. What is more, the system was highly sensitive to UV light even on cloudy days. Compared with other reported photochromic materials, the system in this study has the advantage of facile preparation and provides new insights for the development of photochromic materials without dyes.
In this study, a novel fibrous carbon nitride (FCN) was prepared from laminated covalent triazine framework (CTF) via pyrolysis, using functionalized 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid and melamine as the precursors. A carbon vacancy was produced by two-step calcination in argon and air atmospheres. These carbon vacancies further exposed the edges and diffusion channels of the FCN nanofibers, which accelerated photogenerated charge transfer and provided more active sites. The FCN was characterized using various techniques and used for H2 evolution under visible-light irradiation. The as-synthesized FCN exhibited excellent stability, and its photocatalytic activity for H2 evolution under visible-light irradiation was 66 times higher than that of bare C3N4 (BCN), attaining a maximum H2 evolution rate of 102.63 mol in 6 h. The FCN remained stable following visible-light irradiation at the end of 10 cycles. The FCN benefited from the absorption of solar energy and a large number of active sites. These advantages facilitated the efficient separation of photoexcited electron-hole pairs to hinder charge recombination. This work generates new insights into the preparation of highly effective FCN photocatalysts that may be put to various applications, especially in the fields of energy and environment.