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Abstract
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In this study, we report the synthesis and characterization of a novel photocatalyst com-
posite composed of functionalized carbon nanotubes (f-CNT) and phenyl-modified graphitic carbon
nitride (PhCN). The incorporation of the phenyl group extends the absorption range into the visi-
ble spectrum compared to pure g-C3N4. Additionally, the formation of the heterostructure in the
f-CNT/PhCN composite exhibits improved charge transfer efficiency, facilitating the separation and
transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and reducing recombination rates. The photocatalytic
performance of this composite was evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible
light irradiation. The f-CNT/PhCN composite exhibits remarkable efficiency in degrading RhB,
achieving 60% degradation after 4 h, and 100% after 24 h under low-power white LED excitation.
This represents a substantial improvement over the non-functionalized CNT/PhCN composite, which
shows much lower performance. In contrast, pure PhCN demonstrates very little activity. Structural
and optical properties were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron mi-
croscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. Time-resolved photoluminescence
measurements were used to study the behavior of photoexcited carriers, confirming that the compos-
ite improves charge transfer efficiency for photogenerated carriers by approximately 30%. The results
indicate that the functionalization of CNTs significantly enhances the photocatalytic properties of the
composite, making f-CNT/PhCN a promising candidate for environmental remediation applications,
particularly in the degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater.
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