Enhanced photocatalytic activity of ternary g-C3N4/NaTaO3/biomass carbon composite photocatalysts under visible-light radiation

Abstract

Highly efficient visible-light-responsive ternary graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)/NaTaO3/biomass carbon (BM-C) photocatalysts with different g-C3N4 amounts were prepared via a solvothermal method combined with a high-temperature sintering method. Herein, the crystal structure and morphology of g-C3N4/NaTaO3/BM-C are investigated in detail. The light-response characteristics of g-C3N4/NaTaO3/BM-C composites are effectively extended into the visible-light region. Compared with NaTaO3/BM-C and g-C3N4/NaTaO3, the g-C3N4/NaTaO3/BM-C composite showed high visible-light catalytic performance when the mass ratio of melamine (the g-C3N4 precursor) to binary NaTaO3/BM-C is 4:1, and the degradation extent of 95.85% for Rhodamine B can be reached in 60 min under visible-light irradiation. In addition, the photocatalytic mechanism showed that the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the composite may be attributed to the introduction of g-C3N4, which expanded the visible-light response range and the formation and effect of a good synergistic effect of BM-C and various components. This work provides useful insights for promoting the practical process of sodium tantalate photocatalytic materials.