Newly designed highly efficient and selective sulfone graphitic carbon nitride photocatalyst for C-H\C-S bond formation under visible light

Abstract

The design and development of highly efficient, cost-effective, non-toxic and metal-free photocatalyst is a great challenge. Graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) is a promising photocatalyst, but its efficiency can be significantly enhanced through structural modifications. In this study, we introduce a novel sulfone functionalization strategy, where sulfur-doped g-C₃N₄ (SG) is further transformed into sulfone-functionalized g-C₃N₄ (S_f G). This rarely explored approach modifies the electronic structure, enhances charge carrier dynamics, and improves photocatalytic activity, making S_f G a highly efficient and advanced photocatalyst. Both SG and S_f G photocatalyst were studied through various characterization techniques to investigate their structural and electronic properties. The materials were then employed in photocatalytic C-H and C-S bond formation reactions. The results demonstrated that the incorporation of sulfone groups in S_f G showed superior selectivity and yield in photocatalytic reactions compared to the sulphur-doped precursor. These findings were in accordance with the characterization results, which revealed better charge carrier dynamics, enhanced light harvesting capabilities and appropriate electronic structure of the sulfone-modified g-C₃N₄. The product yield of S_f G is 96.8% for C-H bond reaction and 95.72% for C-S bond reaction conclusively proving that sulfone incorporation significantly improves photocatalytic efficiency.