Exfoliation of Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Enhanced Oxidative Desulfurization: A Facile and General Strategy

A series of graphitic carbon nitride (CN) in the form of nanosheets with porous structure have been prepared through thermal treatment of bulk CN in air. Compared with the bulk counterpart, the as-generated holey CN nanosheets are larger in specific surface area. Endowed with more active sites and enhanced mass transport ability, the latter display catalytic performance substantially superior to the former, exhibiting higher H 2 S conversion and S selectivity in the oxidation of H 2 S to S. Moreover, the CN nanosheets show much better durability than traditional catalysts. It is envisaged that the strategy is a general technique that can be extended to produce porous CN nanosheets from other nitrogen-rich precursors, as well as to prepare other 2D carbon-based materials for potential applications.