Fluorine functionalized graphitic carbon nitride for iron(III) sensing and methylene blue photodegradation

This study synthesizes graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C₃N₄) and fluorine‐doped graphitic carbon nitride (Fgcn) nanosheets with different fluorine weight percentages, and their potential for fluorescence detection of Fe³⁺ ions and photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) using solar light is then investigated. The samples demonstrated extraordinarily sensitive and selective Fe³⁺ detection at a limit of detection of 0.48 µM and a limit of quantification of 1.46 µM. Moreover, compared to the pure g‐C₃N₄, the Fgcn demonstrated a faster rate of photocatalytic degradation of the MB dye. The adjustable band gap, increased number of short‐lived species, two‐dimensional nanostructure, and reduced lattice strain all contribute to the increased photocatalytic activity of Fgcn samples. This study shows that the use of flourine‐doped g‐C₃N₄ can improve the selective detection of Fe³⁺ ions as well as the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue when exposed to solar light.