Structural evolution of turbostratic carbon nitride after being treated with a pulse discharge

Turbostratic carbon nitride was prepared by the pyrolysis of melamine and then treated with a pulse discharge for different times. It is found that after this high-temperature short-time treatment, the structures of the products have changed while the high nitrogen content has been effectively maintained. The obtained product was characterized by X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. The composition was measured by an element analyzer. An orthorhombic CN x phase has been obtained, identified by transmission electron microscopy coupled with selected area electron diffraction. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed that the product has some nanocrystals having a fringe spacing of approximately 0.32 nm, which embedded in a turbostratic matrix.