Dual asymmetric centrifugation as a new tool to prepare TiO2/S-g-C3N4 heterojunctions with high photocatalytic performance

Abstract

This work reports the use of dual asymmetric centrifugation (DAC) for the synthesis of TiO2/S-doped carbon nitride (TiO2/S-g-C3N4) heterojunctions and their performance on rhodamine B (RhB) photodegradation. The optimal TiO2/S-g-C3N4 ratio was determined to be 1.0/0.1 w/w and the XRD, UV-VIS, XPS and FT-IR data confirm the formation of the heterojunction. The TEM analysis indicated TiO2 nanoparticles dispersed on the surface and/or within the interlayer space of the carbonaceous material. TiO2/S-g-C3N4 (1.0/0.1) heterojunction was able to photodegrade 98.9% of RhB in 60 min under a visible LED light, with photocatalytic performance similar or superior to other similar heterojunctions reported in the literature. Radical trapping experiments and VB-XPS spectra indicated that TiO2/S-g-C3N4 (1.0/0.1) acted via the Z-scheme mechanism.