Novel 1D/3D CeO2/g-C3N4 catalysts for photodegradation of ciprofloxacin under visible light via dimensional regulation and heterostructure construction

Abstract

Dimensional regulation and heterostructure building strategy are the significant means to boost the property of semiconductor photocatalysts. Herein, CeO2/g-C3N4 (CeCN) composites with 1D/3D structure were synthesized by compounding one-dimensional CeO2 nanorods and three-dimensional porous carbon nitride materials. Diverse characterization methods, BET, XRD, SEM/TEM, FT-IR, XPS and UV–vis DRS, to name a few, were conducted to reveal the surface area, micro shape, crystal structure, surface functional groups and photoconductive properties of the samples. The photocatalytic properties of catalyst were estimated by photodegradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) under visible light irradiation. The results suggested that CeO2 nanorods with 1D structure and g-C3N4 with 3D porous structure are successfully composite into 1D/3D composites without any crystal structure and surface functional groups changed. The optimal CeCN25 exhibited brilliant photodegradation performance with 96.3% degradation efficiency within 100 min under visible light irradiation. The dimension control strategy made the material form porous structure and increases the adsorption performance of the material, while the heterostructure construction strategy formed a space electric field with efficient charge separation and transfer, which prolonged charge life. The combination of two strategies was the crucial factor for the eminent catalytic activity of photocatalysts. This work supplies thinking for the directional design and synthesis of composite catalysts with high photocatalytic activity.