Development of g-C3N4-based photoactive materials decorated with Cu or Zn Nanoparticles for CO2 photoconversion

• Grant number: 24/03456-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Francisco Guilherme Esteves Nogueira
• Grantee: Marcus Vinicius Sgobi
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/02980-1 - Development of semiconductors for photoconversion of CO2 into solar fuels and products for the chemical industry, AP.PNGP.PI

Abstract

The development of technologies aimed at carbon dioxide (CO2) conversion presents one of the greatest scientific challenges of the present day, considering the environmental issues involving fossil fuels. The excess CO2 in the atmosphere associated with the combustion of fossil fuels has been identified as the primary cause of global warming, appearing at the forefront of environmental debates and scientific community discussions. In this context, the development of photoactive materials for CO2 conversion into industrially relevant products, such as methanol, methane, carbon monoxide, and formic acid, may be viable alternatives, both environmentally and economically. Among the semiconductors used for the CO2 photoconversion process, materials based on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) stand out, given that it has a bandgap energy (Eg) of approximately 2.7 eV, thus it is photoactive in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. However, studies show that bulk g-C3N4 has a high number of stacked and condensed carbon layers in its structure, resulting in a reduction in specific surface area as well as in the number of available active sites for the reaction, leading to a loss in photocatalytic efficiency. Therefore, this project aims to develop g-C3N4-based photocatalysts decorated with Cu or Zn in different proportions using wet impregnation and direct-current (DC) magnetron sputtering deposition methods, with the objective of enhancing the photocatalytic properties of these materials.