INVESTIGATION OF Pd@g-C3N4/TiO2 NANOPARTICLES AS PHOTOCATALYST IN THE DEGRADATION OF METHYLENE BLUE UNDER VISIBLE LIGHT IRRADIATION

Abstract

In the present study, the efficiency of Pd@g-C3N4/TiO2 NPs as photocatalyst on degradation of organic pollutant methylene blue (MB) dye under visible light has been investigated. A traditional one-step impregnation-reduction method was used for the preparation of photocatalysts. Pd@g-C3N4/TiO2 NPs were characterized by several techniques such as FT-IR, DR/UV-Vis, SEM-EDX, TEM, P-XRD, and XPS analyses. The photocatalytic performance of Pd@g-C3N4/TiO2 NPs was evaluated for the degradation of MB dye under visible light irradiation. Among different loadings of Pd(0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 %), the 0.5% loading Pd@ g-C3N4/TiO2 NPs showed the highest catalytic activity. The results revealed an enhancement in the visible light photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4/TiO2 when it was coupled with Pd in the composite. Compared with pure g-C3N4/TiO2, the Pd@ g-C3N4/TiO2 hybrid photocatalyst exhibited enhanced visible light photoactivity, which was approximately three times higher than that of pure g-C3N4/TiO2.