Designing of highly active g-C3N4/Sn doped ZnO heterostructure as a photocatalyst for the disinfection and degradation of the organic pollutants under visible light irradiation

Abstract

The use of nanocomposites having heterostructured junctions-nanoparticle combination for enhanced photocatalytic degradation ability is in practice. These nanocomposites were considered better photocatalysts due to increased electron-hole pair production and delay in their recombination rate. Thus, photogenerated electron-hole pairs were also reported to be used as good antibacterial agents. In this study, a series of g-C3N4 hybridized with Sn doped ZnO novel nanocomposites were prepared using the unique chemical co-precipitation method. This synthesis method was known as a low-cost, environmentally-friendly, in-situ fabrication process. Zinc acetate, Tin chloride, and urea are being used as precursor materials. The morphology of synthesized g-C3N4 hybridized with Sn doped ZnO nanocomposite was mainly assessed by XRD, FTIR, TEM, and SEM techniques. The elemental determination was performed by using EDS analysis, and band gaps were calculated using the tauc plot method. The photocatalytic ability of synthesized materials was established by photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under sunlight irradiation. To establish reactive oxygen species involved in the photocatalytic mechanism, a series of scavenger experiments were conducted. It was discovered that both O2− and h+ radicals are involved in photodegradation and antibacterial activity. The visible light cropping was assessed by using PL spectroscopy. The surface area calculations were made via BET analysis. The antibacterial properties were assessed against Escherichia Coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus saliverius.