Nanosheet g-C3N4 enhanced by Bi2MoO6 for highly efficient photocatalysts toward photodegradation of Rhodamine-B dye

Abstract

The investigation of a proficient photocatalytic system for the degradation of organic pollutants holds significant importance in the field of environmental management. This study presents a binary type II heterojunction photocatalyst, Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 which is synthesized using an eco-friendly ultrasonic-assisted method. Various characterization methods (XRD, FTIR, XPS, BET, TEM, UV–vis, and PL) are used to investigate the crystalline structures, composition, surface analysis, morphology, and optical properties of the photocatalyst. All the Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 nanocomposites show better photocatalytic activity for Rhodamine B dye (Rh–B) degradation under Ultraviolet light irradiation than the pure g-C3N4. The photocatalytic activity of the 10 % Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 nanocomposite is found to be the greatest among the tested samples. the 10 % Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 nanocomposite demonstrates the ability to degrade 94.6 % of Rh–B (1 × 10−5 M) within 3 h, with a rate constant of 0.015 min–1. Notably, this rate constant is 7 times greater than that observed for pure g-C3N4, which has a rate constant of 0.00218 min–1. The effect of several reaction factors on the Rhodamine B (Rh–B) removal is studied. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of 10 % Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 nanocomposite is mainly due to the formation of 2D/2D type II structures, increasing the active sites and the separation rate of photogenerated carriers. A possible photocatalytic reaction mechanism of Rhodamine B (Rh–B) degradation over Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 is suggested based on active species trapping experiment. Moreover, the high stability and recyclability exhibited by the 10 % Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 nanocomposite provide strong evidence supporting its suitability as a viable photocatalyst for wastewater treatment purposes.