Eco-friendly preparation of titanium dioxide/carbon nitride nanocomposites for photoelectrocatalytic applications.

Titanium dioxide (TiO) and its heterostructures are among the most extensively studied materials for photo- and electrocatalytic applications. Optimizing their synthesis remains crucial for enhancing performance and reducing production costs. In this work, we report a simple, eco-friendly method for preparing TiO/graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) nanocomposites in both powder and thin-film forms. The method takes advantage of the catalytic properties of TiO to significantly lower the temperature required for the formation of g-CN from urea, from 600 °C to 300 °C. Incorporating lyophilization prior to thermal treatment results in a . 60% increase in the specific surface area. The materials were evaluated for their photo- and electrocatalytic performance. Upon photoactivation at 385 nm, both TiO and TiO/g-CN powders generate the hydroxyl radical, with lyophilization enhancing radical production fivefold. The lyophilized TiO/g-CN nanocomposite exhibits 14% higher photocatalytic activity than its TiO counterpart. In electrocatalytic studies, TiO/g-CN thin films demonstrate a 70 mV lower overpotential for oxygen reduction compared to TiO films. These results highlight the potential of the synthesized nanocomposites for environmental remediation and in energy-related applications such as fuel cell electrodes.