Cubic-C3N4 nanoparticles synthesized in CNx/TiNx multilayer films

Cubic-C3N4 nanoparticles were synthesized in CNx/TiNx multilayer films by a nitrogen ion beam sputtering in situ titanium and graphite targets alternatively. The CN bonding states within the CNx layers, the morphologies and structure of compounds in the films have been investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Two types of bonding states, Nsp2C and Nsp3C, exist predominantly in the CNx layer, and crystalline particles with sizes of 10–60 nm were observed in the CNx layer of the films. Their diffraction data can be assigned to the cubic-C3N4 structure.