Flexible Bi2MoO6/S-C3N4/PAN heterojunction nanofibers made from electrospinning and solvothermal route for boosting visible-light photocatalytic performance

Abstract

This work elaborated the synthesis and characterization of flexible Bi2MoO6/S-C3N4/ PAN composite fabricated by the electrospinning of the mixture of S-doped g-C3N4 (SCN) and PAN, which resulted in the formation of 1D SCN/PAN nanofibers (NFs) followed by the deposition of the 2D Bi2MoO6 (BMO) nanosheets on their surfaces via a solvothermal route. Among the synthesized NFs, 12 %SCN/PAN NFs made using the SCN/PAN ratio of 12 showed the highest photocatalytic activity for degrading 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), i.e., 83 % 4-NP degraded within 180 min. Further deposition of BMO onto 12 %SCN/PAN, represented by BMO-2/12 %SCN/PAN NFs sample, led to significant improvement in 4-NP photocatalytic degradation performance, enabling 94 % 4-NP to be degraded within 90 min. Such excellent performance can be ascribed to the synergetic effects of the unique hierarchical core–shell and S-scheme heterojunction properties. They could enhance the separation of electron-hole pairs and reserve redox capabilities, where h+ and ·O2– radicals were their main reactive species responsible for the photodegradation. Moreover, BMO-2/12 %SCN/PAN NFs can be efficiently reused due to their flexible nanofibrous mat-like structure. This work provides new insights into developing self-supporting photocatalysts for removing organic pollutants.