Deposition of CuWO4 nanoparticles over g-C3N4/Fe3O4 nanocomposite: Novel magnetic photocatalysts with drastically enhanced performance under visible-light

Novel g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄/CuWO₄ nanocomposites, as magnetic visible-light-driven photocatalysts, fabricated through a simple refluxing-calcination process. The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized by a series of techniques including XRD, EDX, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, FT-IR, TGA, BET, UV–vis DRS, PL, and VSM. The results showed that heterojunctions are formed between g-C₃N₄, Fe₃O₄, and CuWO₄, which favor suppression of the photogenerated electron/hole pairs from recombination. The resultant g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄/CuWO₄ (30%) sample exhibited superior photocatalytic performance. The degradation rate constants on the g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄/CuWO₄ (30%) nanocomposite were almost 10.5, 17, 12.5, and 42.5 times higher than those of the pristine g-C₃N₄ for degradations of RhB, MB, MO, and fuchsine, respectively. Moreover, the photocatalyst was magnetically separated and recycled with negligible loss in the activity, which is important for the sustainable photocatalytic processes. Thus, the ternary nanocomposite could have potential applications in different photocatalytic processes.     

High performance magnetically recoverable g-C3N4/Fe3O4/Ag/Ag2SO3 plasmonic photocatalyst for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of water pollutants

The g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄/Ag/Ag₂SO₃ nanocomposites have been successfully fabricated by facile refluxing method. The as-obtained products were characterized by XRD, EDX, SEM, TEM, UV–vis DRS, FT–IR, TGA, PL, and VSM techniques. The results suggest that the Ag/Ag₂SO₃ nanoparticles have anchored on the surface of g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite, showing strong absorption in the visible region. The evaluation of photocatalytic activity indicates that for the g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄/Ag/Ag₂SO₃ (40%) nanocomposite, the degradation rate constant was 188 × 10^?4 min^?1 for rhodamine B, exceeding those of the g-C₃N₄ (16.0 × 10^?4 min^?1) and g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄ (20.2 × 10^?4 min^?1) by factors of 11.7 and 9.3, respectively. The results showed that the nanocomposite prepared by refluxing for 120 min has the superior photocatalytic activity and its activity decreased with rising the calcination temperature. The trapping experiments confirmed that superoxide ion radical was the main active species in the photocatalytic degradation process. Also, it was demonstrated that the magnetic photocatalyst has considerable activity in degradation of one more dye pollutant. Finally, the reusability of the photocatalyst was evaluated by five consecutive catalytic runs. This work may open up new insights into the utilization of magnetically separable nanocomposites and provide new opportunities for facile fabrication of g-C₃N₄-based plasmonic photocatalysts.     

Magnetically recoverable highly efficient visible-light-active g-C3N4/Fe3O4/Ag2WO4/AgBr nanocomposites for photocatalytic degradations of environmental pollutants

Herein, magnetically recoverable g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄/Ag₂WO₄/AgBr (gCN/M/AgW/AgBr) nanocomposites, as greatly efficient visible-light-active photocatalysts, were fabricated by successive decoration of Fe₃O₄, Ag₂WO₄, and AgBr over g-C₃N₄ (gCN) and they were characterized by XRD, EDX, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, UV–vis DRS, FT-IR, PL, TG, and VSM analysis. Visible-light-induced photocatalytic performances were studied by degradations of RhB, MB, MO, and fuchsine pollutants. It was confirmed that the nanocomposites are effective in the reduction of e^?/h⁺ recombination through the matched interactions between energy bands of gCN, Fe₃O₄, Ag₂WO₄, and AgBr semiconductors. The highest photocatalytic degradation efficiency was observed for the gCN/M/AgW/AgBr (30%) nanocomposite when it was refluxed for 30?min. Activity of this nanocomposite is almost 21, 41, 94, and 10-folds greater than those of the gCN toward the degradations of RhB, MB, MO, and fuchsine pollutants, respectively. Additionally, a mechanism for the superior photocatalytic performances was proposed using reactive species scavenging experiments and characterization results.     

Synthesis of porous Fe3O4/g-C3N4 nanospheres as highly efficient and recyclable photocatalysts

A facile approach for the preparation of Fe₃O₄/g-C₃N₄ nanospheres with good porous structure has been demonstrated by a hydrothermal method. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet–visible light (UV–vis) absorbance spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The photocatalytic decomposition of methyl orange (MO) by the as-prepared samples was carried out under visible light irradiation. The reusability and magnetic properties were also investigated. The results revealed that the porous Fe₃O₄/g-C₃N₄ nanospheres showed considerable photocatalytic activity, and exhibited excellent reusability and magnetic properties with almost no change after five runs.     

The carboxylate magnetic – Zinc based metal-organic framework heterojunction: Fe3O4-COOH@ZIF-8/Ag/Ag3PO4 for plasmon enhanced visible light Z-scheme photocatalysis

In this work, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) grafted with carboxylic acid (Fe₃O₄-COOH MNPs) were successfully prepared from incorporation of glutaric anhydride as a functional group on the surface of the ferrite NPs. The MNP was used as a template to induce the growth of ZIF-8 metal–organic framework (MOF) on its surface. The Fe₃O₄-COOH@ZIF-8 core-shell was incorporated with silver phosphate (Ag₃PO₄) and Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to develop a visible light active Fe₃O₄-COOH@ZIF-8/Ag/Ag₃PO₄ photocatalyst. The materials were characterized using a range of techniques. The photocatalytic activity was investigated systematically by degrading an organo-phosphorus pesticide, diazinon under visible light irradiation. Among synthesized samples, the Fe₃O₄-COOH@ZIF-8/Ag/Ag₃PO₄ heterostructured system exhibited highest photocatalytic activity and improved stability compared to others for the degradation of diazinon under visible light. The superior activity and improved stability of this heterostructured photocatalyst was attributed to the synergistic effects from surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Ag NPs and sequential energy transfer via Z-scheme mechanism, for effective separation of electron-hole pairs. Radical-trapping experiments demonstrate that holes (h⁺) and O₂⁻ are primary reactive species involved in photocatalytic oxidation process. Moreover, the Fe₃O₄-COOH@ZIF-8/Ag/Ag₃PO₄ photocatalyst did not show any obvious loss of photocatalytic activity during five cycle tests, which indicate that the heterostructured photocatalyst was highly stable and can be used repeatedly. Therefore, the work provides new insights into the design and fabrication of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for use as a visible light photocatalyst for degrading organic contaminants.     

Fabrication of highly efficient g-C3N4/ZnO/Fe2O3 ternary composite with enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - The development of an efficient and photostable heterostructured photocatalyst has attracted a great deal of attention for the degradation...     

Optimized design of visible light-driven g-C3N4 nanorod/Ag3PO4 Z-scheme heterojunction with enhanced interfacial charge separation and photocatalytic activity

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - A g-C3N4 nanorod/Ag3PO4 (CN-A) Z-Scheme heterojunction, which can response to visible light, was prepared through a convenient and green...     

Preparation of magnetically recoverable Fe3O4@SiO2@meso-TiO2 nanocomposites with enhanced photocatalytic ability

A simple and efficient method has been developed to fabricate core–shell structured Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@meso-TiO₂ nanocomposites with enhanced photocatalytic activity in this paper. The as-made core–shell structure is composed of a central magnetite core with a strong response to external fields, an interlayer of SiO₂, and an outer layer of TiO₂ nanocrystals with mesoporous structure. Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ was obtained through a sol–gel process. To avoid magnetic loss caused by magnetite core phase transition and particle reunion, we adopt a mild synthetic method to get anatase shell instead of traditional high-temperature calcination. The structure of resulting composites was characterized and their photocatalytic activities were also tested. Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@meso-TiO₂ composite exhibits higher photocatalytic activities than Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@solid-TiO₂ for the degradation of rhodamine B in aqueous suspension. The excellent photocatalytic activities are ascribed to the high surface area and pore volume created by mesoporous anatase shell.     

SnO2/g-C3N4 photocatalyst with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

Visible light-responsive SnO₂/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite photocatalysts were prepared by ultrasonic-assisting deposition method with melamine as a g-C₃N₄ precursor. The as-prepared photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectra and photoluminescence emission spectra. The photocatalytic activities of the samples were evaluated by monitoring the degradation of methyl orange solution under visible light irradiation (wavelength ≥400 nm). The results show that the SnO₂ nanoparticles with the size of 2–3 nm are dispersed on the surface of g-C₃N₄ evenly in SnO₂/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites. The visible-light photocatalytic activity of SnO₂/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites is much higher than that of pure g-C₃N₄, and increases at first and then decreases with the increment of the content of g-C₃N₄ in the nanocomposites. The visible-light photocatalytic mechanism of the investigated nanocomposites has been discussed.     

Constructing BiOBr/g-C3N4/Bi2O2CO3 Z-scheme photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - In this work, the novel camellia-structured double Z-scheme BiOBr/g-C3N4/Bi2O2CO3 was simply prepared by a hydrothermal method. XRD, FTIR,...     

Exceptional photocatalytic activity for g-C3N4 activated by H2O2 and integrated with Bi2S3 and Fe3O4 nanoparticles for removal of organic and inorganic pollutants

Herein, hydrogen peroxide activated graphitic carbon nitride (agCN) was combined with Fe₃O₄ and Bi₂S₃ to fabricate agCN/Fe₃O₄/Bi₂S₃ nanocomposites via facile refluxing method, as visible-light-induced photocatalysts for photodegradations of anionic and cationic dyes such as MO, RhB, MB, and photoreduction of Cr(VI). The fabricated samples were explored by XRD, EDX, XPS, TGA, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, VSM, PL, FT-IR, BET, and UV-vis DRS. Photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite with 20% of Bi₂S₃ was 16.6, 40.4, 19.5, and 12.5 times more than that of the pristine gCN in removal of RhB, MB, MO, and Cr(VI), respectively. A plausible photocatalytic mechanism on the agCN/Fe₃O₄/Bi₂S₃ nanocomposites was proposed by construction of n-n heterojunction between gCN and Bi₂S₃. Also, stability of the magnetic hybrid was characterized through cyclic photocatalytic tests.     

Green gelatin-assisted: Synthesis of Co3O4NPs@rGO nanopowder for highly efficient magnetically separable methylene orange dye degradation

GO and Co(NO₃)₂ were respectively used as rGO and Co₃O₄ precursors for preparing magnetically separable Co₃O₄NPs attached Co₃O₄NPs@rGO nanocomposites by a straightforward sol–gel technique. To characterize the nanocomposite materials, FESEM, EDX, elemental mapping, XRD, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, UV–vis, VSM and BET were employed. When exposed to UV rays, the nanocomposite showed extraordinary photocatalytic degradation of MO dye. According to the measurements of photocatalytic activity, the highly efficient photocatalytic efficiency of the nanocomposite could be attributed to preventing electron-hole recombination by highly effective electron transfer between rGO and semiconductor NPs. The nanocomposite succeeded in the efficient degradation of MO dye, even after five photocatalytic cycles.     

Relationship of structure and enhanced photocatalytic activity of S-scheme BiOCl/g-C3N4 heterojunction for xanthate removal under visible light

Constructing heterojunctions is an excellent way to enhance the photocatalytic property of semiconductors. Herein, a range of S-scheme BiOCl/g-C₃N₄ heterojunctions with varying mass ratios were designed using a facile hydrothermal route, and their photocatalytic ability was assessed by degrading the ethyl xanthate (EX) under visible light (λ > 400 nm). The results showed that the degradation efficiency of BiOCl/g-C₃N₄-0.1 heterojunction for EX was up to 91.2 % within 180 min, and its apparent rate constants (K_app) were 4.3 and 11 times greater than those of BiOCl and g-C₃N₄, respectively. The experimental and characterization results revealed that the excellent photocatalytic property was ascribed to the construction of S-scheme heterojunctions. Such structure not only enhanced the visible light response but also facilitated the efficient separation of photoinduced carriers with the S-scheme transfer route, retaining strong redox-capable holes and electrons to participate in surface reactions. Furthermore, the cycling experiments indicated that the fabricated photocatalysts have great recyclability and stability. Based on the results of active substance capture, the S-scheme charge transfer model was proposed and the photodegradation mechanism of EX was reasonably elucidated. Overall, this work offers some theoretical direction for the design and construction of S-scheme heterojunctions with superior visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance.     

Ternary MIL-100(Fe)@Fe3O4/CA magnetic nanophotocatalysts (MNPCs): Magnetically separable and Fenton-like degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride

Today’s world, tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) is considered as a Compounds of Emerging Concern (CECs). Metal-organic frameworks MOFs with a microporous structure and holding larger pores indicating potential applications in the fields of environmental purification. Recently, carbon aerogel (CA) has also aroused great interest due to its larger specific surface area, low density, thermal stability, and non-toxicity. Herein, MIL-100(Fe) was synthesized under low temperature and combined with Fe₃O₄ and CA, respectively. The obtained MIL-100(Fe), MIL-100(Fe)@Fe₃O₄, MIL-100(Fe)@CA and MIL-100(Fe)@Fe₃O₄/CA were investigated as a photocatalyst for removal of TC from the water. The results indicated that the MIL-100(Fe)@Fe₃O₄/CA degrade TC up to 85%, which is much higher than MIL-100(Fe)@Fe₃O₄ (c.a. 42%), due to its high surface area 389?m²?g^?1, smaller pore size and pore volume 2.4?nm and 0.319?m³?g^?1, high separation of electron and hole, and lower band gap of 1.76?eV. The coupling of CA with MIL-100(Fe)@Fe₃O₄ considerably accelerate the transfer of photo-generated charge carriers and enhanced 1.6 times the performance of MIL-100(Fe)@Fe₃O₄. Furthermore, the stability and recyclability were enhanced due to the addition of Fe₃O₄, facilitating the environmentally friendly water purification processes.     

Ag2O modified magnetic BaFe12O19/C3N4 photocatalysts with enhanced antibiotic removal: Photocatalytic mechanism and toxicity evaluation

Novel Ag₂O-BaFe₁₂O₁₉/C₃N₄ composites were prepared via a grind, solvothermal and deposition–precipitation methods. The physicochemical properties of the samples were tested by FT-IR, XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, DRS, ESR, VSM, photocurrent test, and electrochemical impedance spectra test, respectively. The characterization manifested that Ag₂O was firmly anchored to the BaFe₁₂O₁₉/C₃N₄ to form heterogeneous hybrid. Most importantly, the formation of Ag₂O-BaFe₁₂O₁₉/C₃N₄ effectively promoted the charge transfer, eventually enhancing the photocatalytic performance. Meanwhile, the activity of the photocatalysts were assessed by photocatalytic removal of tetracycline (TC) under visible light irradiation. The results showed that Ag₂O-BaFe₁₂O₁₉/C₃N₄ photocatalyst has better photocatalytic activities than the pure component. The degradation rate reaches 80 % after 15 min, which is nearly 1.56 times higher than that of pure g-C₃N₄. The effects of Ag₂O content, photocatalyst dosage, pH value on TC degradation performances were studied in detail, respectively. The experimental results verified that pH value exhibited significant effects on TC degradation. The TC degradation rate was highest only when the initial solution pH = 7. This indicates that the photocatalyst also has high activity in neutral environment, and no additional pH adjustment is required. The results of plant growth test (mung bean seeds) showed that the degradation intermediates showed lower toxicity. Based on experiments and characterization, the possible carrier migration and photocatalytic degradation mechanism were proposed.     

Improvement of gas-sensing performance of rGO/g-C3N4 nanocomposites by Ag NPs functionalization

The current research presents the effects of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) as a functionalization agent to improve the rGO/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites as the gas sensor. Existing characterization techniques, including energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), confirmed the successful synthesis of Ag/rGO/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites. Besides Ag/rGO/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites, two other samples, including pristine g-C₃N₄ and rGO/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites were synthesized, and their performance in sensing acetone, carbon monoxide, methanol, isopropanol, formalin, and toluene at different temperatures, was investigated. The Ag/rGO/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite-based sensor exhibited good selectivity of 68.77% and a high response of 42.97 to 50 ppm toluene at 100 °C, a significant reduction in operating temperature and a substantial increase in response and selectivity, in comparison to the rGO/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite-based sensor. Moreover, the Ag/rGO/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite-based sensor demonstrated excellent long-term stability. The role of Ag NPs and rGO in the improvement of toluene sensing of g-C₃N₄ nanosheets is explained comprehensively.     

苝四羧酸二酰亚胺修饰增强g-C_(3)N_(4)光催化性能EI北大核心CSCD

以3,4,9,10-苝四甲酸二酐和L-天冬氨酸为原料,合成水溶性苝二酰亚胺衍生物N,N′-二(2-丁二酸基)-3,4,9,10-苝四羧酸二酰亚胺(PASP)。采用水热法将PASP接枝在g-C_(3)N_(4)上,制备PASP改性g-C_(3)N_(4)复合光催化剂(g-C_(3)N_(4)-PASP)。通过X射线衍射仪(XRD)、傅里叶变换红外光谱仪(FT-IR)、X射线光电子能谱仪(XPS)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、紫外-可见光漫反射光谱(UV-Vis DRS)和固体荧光光谱等对g-C_(3)N_(4)-PASP的组成、结构、形貌和光学性质等进行表征,考察g-C_(3)N_(4)-PASP对水溶液中模型污染物亚甲基蓝(MB)的光催化降解活性。结果表明:g-C_(3)N_(4)与PASP经水热反应,可通过酰胺键共价结合;相比纯g-C_(3)N_(4),g-C_(3)N_(4)-PASP比表面积显著增大,吸收带边红移至614 nm,同时PASP修饰可促进g-C_(3)N_(4)材料表面光生电子和空穴分离,进而有效提升光催化活性。在可见光(λ>420 nm)照射下,g-C_(3)N_(4)-PASP对MB的降解率60 min内可达99.4%,降解速率常数k约为g-C_(3)N_(4)的2倍。     

Co_3O_4/mpg-C_3N_4催化剂的制备及其可见光催化性能研究

采用浸渍法制备了载钴介孔石墨相氮化碳(Co3O4/mpg-C3N4)催化剂,并对其进行X射线衍射(XRD),红外光谱(FT-IR),N2吸附脱附,紫外漫反射光谱(UV-vis DRS)和光生电流的表征。结果显示,Co3O4的引入提高了mpg-C3N4的光吸收性能,利于其表面光生电子和空穴的分离。将制得的Co3O4/mpg-C3N4用于可见光催化降解水中的亚甲基蓝(MB),其催化效率远高于mpg-C3N4,且最佳的钴负载量为3%。