Fe doped g-C3N4 composited ZnIn2S4 promoting Cr(VI) photoreduction

Abstract

30% FeCN/ZIS (30% Fe doped g-C3N4 composited ZnIn2S4) was synthesized by a simple water bath method, via in-situ growth of abundant well-dispersed ZnIn2S4 nanosheets on the Fe doped g-C3N4 surface. Experimental results showed the optimized 30% FeCN/ZIS achieved the best photoreduction of Cr(VI) performance within a wide pH range, which was 9.5 times and 700 times higher than that of pure ZnIn2S4 and 30% FeCN (Fe doped g-C3N4). This is due to the intense synergy between the Fe-Nx bond and close interface contact produces a high-speed charge transfer channel, thus significantly improving the efficiency of optical carrier separation and migration. Meanwhile, UV-vis diffuse reflection spectra and photoluminescence spectroscopy showed that iron doping significantly narrowed the bandgap of g-C3N4, preventing electron-hole pair recombination. Further, the microstructures and charge separation properties were analyzed by scanning electron microscope, Photoluminescence Spectroscopy and time-resolved photoluminescence, which revealed the structure-activity relationship of composite structure and the synergistic mechanism of each functional component. This research should provide a viable technique for creating composites with high photocatalytic activity for the treatment of chromium-containing wastewater.