Zn2SnO4/SnO2/g-C3N4 heterojunction: High efficiency photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B in simulated visible light

Abstract

Photocatalysis is an effective solution to wastewater treatment problems, and semiconductor heterojunctions for photocatalysis can effectively separate photogenerated carriers to improve the performance of photocatalytic degradation of pollutants. In this paper, a ternary composite photocatalyst with a heterojunction structure (Zn2SnO4/SnO2/g-C3N4) was prepared to photodegradeRhodamine B in simulated visible light. The experimental findings demonstrate that the Zn2SnO4/SnO2/g-C3N4 photodegradation rates and efficiencies for RhB are much higher than those for SnO2, g-C3N4, SnO2/g-C3N4, and Zn2SnO4/SnO2. We obtained a 3:1 mass ratio of Zn2SnO4/SnO2 to g-C3N4 by optimization, with a maximum degradation rate of 99.5 % and a maximum kinetic constant k of 0.692 min-1·g−1 for the photocatalytic removal of RhB by Zn2SnO4/SnO2/g-C3N4. The radical trapping experiments suggest the primary role of ·O2– for the photocatalytic removal of RhB. The ternary composite photocatalyst Zn2SnO4/SnO2/g-C3N4 shows promise for potential applications in RhB degradation owing to its exceptionally.