A Precise Strategy to Evaluate the Dispersibility of g-C3N4

The extended use of graphitic-Carbon Nitride ( g -C 3 N 4 ) in various catalytic and optoelectronic applications requires a deep understanding of its behavior, whereas in order to take advantage of its outstanding physicochemical properties in large-scale applications, it is very important to utilize g -C 3 N 4 by solution processing methods. Motivated by this fact, we accurately calculate, for the first time, the Hansen Solubility Parameters (HSPs) of g -C 3 N 4 by investigating its dispersibility in a wide range of twenty (20) solvents with different physicochemical properties. The work was performed utilizing probe-assisted ultrasonication, which helped achieving a higher degree of exfoliation compared to that obtained using an ultrasonic bath as reported in the literature. To validate our findings, two individual approaches were followed, and the obtained results were compared. In the first one, the concentration of g -C 3 N 4 in the dispersions was determined by utilizing the law of Beer-Lambert, while, in the second, the concentration was calculated by weighing the dried sediment that remained after centrifugation of each g -C 3 N 4 dispersion using a 5-digit analytical balance. According to our findings, g -C 3 N 4 exhibited the highest dispersibility in ethylene glycol (EG) among the various solvents, with the HSPs calculated as δD = 16.6 (MPa) 1/2 , δP = 11.1 (MPa) 1/2 , δΗ = 17.0 (MPa) 1/2 and δ = 26.2 (MPa) 1/2 , for the Beer-Lambert law based method, and δD = 16.7 (MPa) 1/2 , δP = 8.8 (MPa) 1/2 , δΗ = 14.4 (MPa) 1/2 and δ = 23.8 (MPa) 1/2 for the mass-weighing method, respectively.