2D/2D Graphitic Carbon Nitride/Antimonene Heterostructure: Structural Characterization and Application in Photocatalysis

Sandwiched van der Waals heterostructures based on the combination of suitable layered materials can give rise to novel nanomaterials with enhanced properties due to synergic effects. In this work, a simple two-step procedure based on the mixture of two suspensions containing the graphitic carbon nitride and antimonene flakes is used to produce heterostructures of different compositions, CNSb_x. The materials have been characterized using spectroscopic, diffractometric, and microscopic techniques. The results confirm that carbon nitride (CN) and antimonene flakes are well-connected, forming a type I heterojunction. The CNSb_x van der Waals heterostructures show improvements in the optical absorption as well as charge separation under illumination, as well as greater photoactivity in the degradation of organic pollutants to that showed for pristine CN. These results suggest potential applications in photoelectrochemical devices for heterostructures based on the combination of CNs with antimonene.