Menny Shalom

The effect of SiO₂ nanoparticles on carbon nitride (C ₃N₄) photoactivity performance is described. The composite SiO₂-C₃N₄ materials exhibit a higher activity in the photo degradation of RhB dye. A detailed analysis of the chemical and optical properties of the composite C₃N₄ materials shows that the photo activity increases with higher SiO₂ concentration. We found out that the presence of SiO₂ nanoparticles strongly affects the fluorescence intensity of the matrix and life time by the creation of new energy states for charge transfer within the C₃N_4. Furthermore, the use of SiO₂ in the synthesis of C₃N ₄ leads to new morphology with higher surface area which results in another, secondary improvement of C₃N₄ photoactivity. The effect of different surfaces within C₃N₄ on its chemical and electronic properties is discussed and a tentative mechanism is proposed. The utilization of SiO₂ nanoparticles improves both photophysical and chemical properties of C₃N₄ and opens new possibilities for further enhancement of C₃N₄ catalytic properties by the formation of composites with many other materials.