Nickel nanoparticle-decorated phosphorous-doped graphitic carbon nitride (Ni@g-PC₃N₄) was synthesized and used as an efficient photoactive catalyst for the reduction of various nitrobenzenes under visible light irradiation. Hydrazine monohydrate was used as the source of protons and electrons for the intended reaction. The developed photocatalyst was found to be highly active and afforded excellent product yields under mild experimental conditions. In addition, the photocatalyst could easily be recovered and reused for several runs without any detectable leaching during the reaction.
Keywords: carbon nitride; nickel nanoparticles; nitrobenzene reduction; photocatalysis; visible light.