Graphite-like carbon nitride is a two-dimensional fluorescent material with discovered degradation of fluorescent properties. It was obtained by thermal decomposition of melamine and was studied using IR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray phase analysis. Three major fluorescence degradation mechanisms were identified. The first and the third ones are based on hydrogen addition to centres with an unshared electron pair, which leads to alteration of fluorescent properties and the second one is adsorption of water, which accumulates not only on the surface of the material but also probably permeates between the layers, thus leading to insignificant decrease of fluorescence. 1. Ziebarth, J., McGehee, M. A theoretical and experimental investigation of light extraction from polymer light–emitting diodes // Journal of Applied Physics, 2005, Vol. 97.
2. Porcu, S. et al. Come to light: Detailed analysis of thermally treated Phenyl modified Carbon Nitride Polymorphs for bright phosphors in lighting applications // Aрplied Surface Science, 2020, Vol. 504.
3. Hatamie, A., Marahel, F., Sharifat, A. Green synthesis of graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet (g–C3N4) and using it as a label–free fluorosensor for detection of metronidazole via quenching of the fluorescence // Talanta, 2018, Vol. 176, pp. 518–525.
4. Iwano, Y. et al. Study of Amorphous Carbon Nitride Films Aiming at White Light Emitting Devices // Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 2008, Vol. 47, pp. 7842–7844.
5. Kozuno, T. et al. Study of white–LED using amorphous carbon nitride grown by RF–sputtering and ECR– plasma CVD // Journal of Light & Visual Environment, 2011, Vol. 35.
6. Cao, Q. et al. Visible–light induced emulsion photopolymerization with carbon nitride as a stabilizer and photoinitiator // Polym. Chem. 2019, Vol. 10, pp. 5315–5323.
7. Gu, S. et al. Tailoring fluorescence emissions, quantum yields, and white light emitting from nitrogen–doped graphene and carbon nitride quantum dots // Nanoscale, 2019, Vol. 11, pp. 16553–16561.
8. Lai, C. et al. Synthesis and properties of carbon quantum dots and their research progress in cancer treatment // Dyes and Pigments, 2021, Vol. 196.
9. Rong, M. et al. Study on the Ultrahigh Quantum Yield of Fluorescent P, O–g–C3N4 Nanodots and its APlication in Cell Imaging // Chemistry – a European Journal, 2016, Vol. 22, pp. 9387–9395.
10. Zinin, P.V. et al. Anomalous fluorescence of the spherical carbon nitride nanostructures // Chemical Physics Letters, 2015, Vol. 633, pp. 95–98.
11. Bogomolov, A.B. et al. Synthesis of Fluorescent Composite Materials Based on Graphitic Carbon Nitride // Optics and Spectroscopy, 2020, Vol. 128, pp. 920–923.
12. Li, Y.Q., Zhang, L.H., Gong, H. Dynamic thermal degradation studies on amorphous carbon thin films // Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 2005, Vol. 79, pp. 677–683.
13. Kroke, E. et al. Tri–s–triazine derivatives. Part I. From trichloro–tri–s–triazine to graphitic C3N4 structures // New Journal of Chemistry, 2002, Vol. 26, pp. 508–512.
14. Williams, A.T.R., Winfield, S.A., Miller, J.N. Relative fluorescence quantum yield using a computer controlled luminescence spectrometer // Analyst. 1983, Vol. 108, pp. 1067–1071.
15. Dixon, J.M., Taniguchi, M., Lindsey, J.S. PhotochemCAD2: A Refined Program with Accompanying Spectral Databases for Photochemical Calculations // Photochem. Photobiol. 2005, Vol. 81, # 1, pp. 212–213.
16. Zinin P.V. et al. Ultraviolet and near–infrared Raman spectroscopy of graphitic C3N4 phase // Chemical Physics Letters, 2009, Vol. 472, pp. 69–73.
17. Babushkin, A.A., Bazhulin, P.A., Korolev, F.A. Methods of spectral analysis / M.: MGU, 1962.
18. Zaitsev, E.V. Processing of infrared and Raman spectra using a software package created in the Wolfram Mathematica environment // Advances in Chemistry and Chemical Technology, 2017, Vol. 31, # 8 (189), pp. 96–97.
19. Zinin, P.V. et al. Ultraviolet and near–infrared Raman spectroscopy of graphitic C3N4 phase // Chemical Physics Letters, 2009, Vol. 472, pp. 69–73.
20. Krylov, A.S., Vtyurin, A.N., Gerasimova, Yu.V. Data processing of infrared Fourier spectroscopy / Toolkit, Krasnoyarsk: Institute of Physics SB RAS, 2015.
21. Ferrari, A.C., Rodil, S.E., Robertson, J. Interpretation of infrared and Raman spectra of amorphous carbon nitrides // Physical Review B, 2003, Vol. 67, Apr.
22. Fu, Q., Cao, C.-B., Zhu, H.-S. A solvothermal synthetic route to prepare polycrystalline carbon nitride // Chemical Physics Letters, 1999, Vol. 314, # 3–4, pp. 223–226.
23. Chebanenko, M.I., Zakharova, N.V, Popkov, V.I. Synthesis and Visible–Light Photocatalytic Activity of Graphite–like Carbon Nitride Nanopowders // Russian Journal of Applied Chemistry, 2020, Vol. 93, Apr., pp. 494–501.
24. Yuan, X.H. et al. Combinatorial Vibration–Mode Assignment for the FTIR Spectrum of Crystalline Melamine: A Strategic Aproach toward Theoretical IR Vibrational Calculations of Triazine–Based Compounds // Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 2016, Vol. 120, Sep., pp. 7427–7433.
25. Grabska, J. et al. Distinct Difference in Sensitivity of NIR vs. IR Bands of Melamine to Inter–Molecular Interactions with Impact on Analytical Spectroscopy Explained by Anharmonic Quantum Mechanical Study // Molecules, 2019, Vol. 24, Apr.
26. Xu, J.Y. et al. Eosin Y–sensitized graphitic carbon nitride fabricated by heating urea for visible light photocatalytic hydrogen eVolution: the effect of the pyrolysis temperature of urea // Physical Chemistry (Chemical Physics), 2013, Vol. 15, pp. 7657–7665.
27. Baglov, A.V. Structural and photo-luminescent properties of graphite-like carbon nitride // Physics and Technology of Semiconductors, 2020, Vol. 54, pp. 176–178.
28. Zimmerman, J.L. et al. Preparation of sphere–shaped nanoscale carbon nitride polymer // Russian Chemical Bulletin, 2001, Vol. 50, Nov., pp. 2020–2027.
29. Yu, D.L. et al. Phase transformation of melamine at high pressure and temperature // Journal of Materials Science, 2008, Vol. 43, pp. 689–695.
30. Tarasevich B.N. IK spectra of the main classes of organic compounds (reference book) / М.: Lomonosov State University (МGU), 2012.
31. Kong, L.R. еt al. Site–selected N vacancy of g–C3N4 for photocatalysis and physical mechanism // Applied Materials Today, 2018, Vol. 13, Dec., pp. 329–338.
32. Chaplin, М. Water Absorption Spectrum / Web, 2013, pp. 1–6.
33. Li, Y. et al. Raman spectroscopy and x–ray diffraction measurements on C60 compressed in a diamond anvil cell // Phys. Rev. B. 2003, Vol. 68, pp. 24106–24106.
34. Tyborski, T. et al. Tunable optical transition in polymeric carbon nitrides synthesized via bulk thermal condensation // Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 2012, Vol. 24, # 3, pp. 162201–162201.
35. Bredas, J.L. Mind the gap! // Materials Horizons, 2014, Vol. 1, pp. 17–19.
36. Zhang, Y.H. et al. Synthesis and luminescence mechanism of multicolour–emitting g–C3N4 nanopowders by low temperature thermal condensation of melamine // Scientific Reports, 2013, Vol. 3, Jun., p. 8.
37. Gan, Z.X. et al. The origins of the broadband photoluminescence from carbon nitrides and applications to white light emitting // Nano Research, 2016, Vol. 9, Jun., pp. 1801–1812.
38. Meek, G.A. et al. Polaronic Relaxation by Three–Electron Bond Formation in Graphitic Carbon Nitrides // Journal of Physical Chemistry, C. 2014, Vol. 118, pp. 4023–4032.
39. McMillan, P.F. et al. Graphitic carbon nitride C6N9H3·HCl: Characterisation by UV and near–IR FT Raman spectroscopy // Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 2009, Vol. 182, pp. 2670–2677.
40. Kong, L. et al. Site–selected N vacancy of g–C3N4 for photocatalysis and physical mechanism // Applied Materials Today, 2018, Vol. 13, pp. 329–338.
41. Finete, V.L.M. et al. Characterization of newfound natural luminescent properties of melamine, and development and validation of a method of high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection for its determination in kitchen plastic ware // Talanta, 2014, Vol. 123, Jun., pp. 128–134.
42. Porcu, S. et al. Come to light: Detailed analysis of thermally treated Phenyl modified Carbon Nitride Polymorphs for bright phosphors in lighting aPlications // Aplied Surface Science, 2020, Vol. 504, pp. 144330–144330.
43. Dunin–Borkowski, R. et al. High–yield synthesis and optical properties of g-C3N4 // Nanoscale, 2015, Vol. 7, pp. 12343–12350.

• Previous article
• Next article

• g-C3N4
• graphite-like carbon nitride
• fluorescence degradation
• fluorescent 2D materials
• fluorescence