Synthesis of Direct Z-Scheme MnWO4/g-C3N4 Photocatalyst with Enhanced Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity

Abstract

In this study, direct Z-scheme MnWO4/g-C3N4 photocatalyst was fabricated via facile hydrothermal method. Compared with pristine graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and manganous tungstate (MnWO4), the prepared MnWO4/g-C3N4 photocatalyst showed obviously enhanced photocatalytic activity for Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation under visible light irradiation. The MnWO4/g-C3N4 photocatalyst prepared with 10% MnWO4 (MC10%) showed the highest photocatalytic activity among all samples, which is about 2.3 and 12.7 times than that of pristine g-C3N4 and MnWO4, respectively. This enhancement is due to the strong light absorption and efficient electron–hole separation of direct Z-scheme MnWO4/g-C3N4 photocatalyst. Electron spin resonance (ESR) experiments and active species trapping experiments revealed that [Formula: see text]OH and [Formula: see text] are the main active species in the photocatalytic process. This work may be beneficial for designing MnWO4-based Z-scheme photocatalyst for application in environmental remediation.