Ultrasound-assisted growth of Zn0.2Cd0.8S nanoparticles on mesoporous P-doped graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets for superior photocatalytic activities

Abstract

Highly-efficient visible light driven Zn0.2Cd0.8S/P-C3N4 heterostructure were successfully synthesized via ultrasound-assisted growth route. The as-prepared Zn0.2Cd0.8S/P-C3N4 nanocomposites consist of mesoporous P-C3N4 nanosheets immobilized with homogeneously dispersed Zn0.2Cd0.8S NPs. The photocatalytic applications including photoreduction of 4-nitroaniline (4-NA) and water splitting were employed to evaluate their photocatalytic activities of prepared samples. The intimate interfacial contact between the Zn0.2Cd0.8S nanoparticles and the P-C3N4 nanosheets endows these nanocomposite photocatalysts with superior visible light photocatalytic activity for both the 4-NA reduction and water splitting in comparison with pure Zn0.2Cd0.8S NPs and bare P-C3N4 NSs, especially Zn0.2Cd0.8S/P-C3N4-80. In addition, we found that Zn0.2Cd0.8S/P-C3N4-80 sample possesses excellent stability towards selective reduction of 4-NA to 4-phenylenediamine (4-PDA) during the photocatalytic running experiments. We hope that our current research on the facile fabrication and applications of Zn0.2Cd0.8S/P-C3N4 samples can provide some new insights in the design, synthesis and application of P-C3N4 based nanocomposites.