Effect of source material of g-C3N4 on the photocatalytic activity of ZnO/g-C3N4 thin film coated on stainless steel mesh substrate

Abstract

In this study,four sets of ZnO/g-C3N4 films were deposited using four different source materials of g-C3N4 (urea, thiourea, melamine and dicyanamide)onto stainless steel meshes using tubular nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique. The structural, surface morphological, functional group and optical properties of the deposited films were examined using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), FTIR spectroscopy, spectrofluorometry (PL) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) characterization techniques, respectively. The effect of precursor of graphitic carbon nitride on the photocatalytic activity of ZnO/g-C3N4 film was investigated by employing the prepared films as catalysts for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and malachite green (MG) dyes. It was found that the sample ZnO/gU exhibits superior photocatalytic activity compared to other samples. The degradation efficiency was found to be 98% and 97% for MB (75 min) and MG (45 min) dyes, respectively. The role of precursor of g-C3N4 for the enhancement of photocatalytic activity of ZnO/g-C3N4 is analyzed with supporting experimental evidences.