One‐Pot Preparation of Binary Photocatalyst ZnO/g‐C3N4 Nanosheets with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity in Dye Degradation

Abstract

AbstractA novel binary ZnO/g‐C3N4 nanosheets (ZCN)‐X (X=10, 20 and 30 wt% of ZnO) composites were prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. The properties of the samples were characterized by XRD, FT‐IR, SEM, UV‐vis, PL, XPS and electrochemistry, and the photodegradation effect of the samples on MO were evaluated. The FT‐IR spectra revealing that the conjugated system between g‐C3N4 and ZnO was generated. The UV‐vis diffuse reflectance spectra showed that the introduction of CNNs reduces the band gap of binary composites and broadens the visible light absorption range of the samples. The fluorescence analysis results suggested that the conjugated system between g‐C3N4 and ZnO was generated. The phtotcatalysis results showed that ZCN‐20 has strong photodegradation activity and lower luminescence intensity. After irradiation for 120 min under visible light, it gives a degradation rate of 98.5 % with good stability. The construction of heterojunction between CNNs and ZnO nanoparticles accelerates electron transfer and inhibits the recombination of photogenerated electron hole pairs, and the synergistic effect of CNNs and ZnO greatly enhanced the photocatalytic performance of samples.