The highly efficient photodegradation of 4-bromophenol by TiO2/g-C3N4 nano photocatalyst with LED visible light

Abstract

Since traditional photocatalysts have suffered from higher charge carrier recombination and moderate photocatalytic efficiency, developing photocatalysts is crucial for water treatment objectives. Hence, the various ratios of TiO2 on g-C3N4 (CN) to form nano photocatalysts were synthesized by the solvothermal method. The 30%TiO2/CN showed the best performance to degradation and debromination of 4-bromophenol (4-BP) solution completely (kobs = 6.6 × 10−2 min−1) under visible light emitted by LED (420 nm) in 30 min. Remarkably, the photocatalyst showed superior stability and reusability, maintaining its efficiency after four cycles of 4-BP degradation. The dominant ROS participating in 4-BP degradation were ●O−2 and photogenerated holes (h+), as investigated by free radical scavenging tests. The optical properties analysis revealed that the introduction of TiO2 to the bulk CN decreases electron-hole recombination and improve photocatalytic performance by facilitating electrons transfer through the TiO2 nanoparticles in a chain. The findings of this study showed that the TiO2/CN photocatalyst is a promising catalyst for the degradation of 4-BP. It exhibits a higher rate constant and photocatalytic efficiency compared with previous studies conducted under visible light irradiation.