Z-scheme heterostructure of Fe-doped SnO2 decorated layered g-C3N4 with enhanced photocatalytic activity under simulated solar light irradiation

Abstract

A novel material Fe (1, 2 and 3 wt%) doped SnO2 decorated layered g-C3N4 was synthesized through a simple chemical precipitation method. The as-prepared hybrid material 1 wt%Fe– SnO2/g-C3N4 (1 wt%Fe–SCN) exhibited enhanced activity for both photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) and Methylene blue (MB) under simulated solar light irradiation. The apparent rate constant, k, for MB degradation of 1 wt%Fe–SCN was 0.062min−1 (10.88 times and 7.56 times higher than that of pure SnO2 and pure g-C3N4) and RhB degradation of 1 wt%Fe–SCN was 0.043min−1 (10 times and 6.83 times higher than pure SnO2 and pure g-C3N4, respectively). It was found that Fe doping reduced the band gap of Fe–SnO2, and formed Z-scheme heterojunction between Fe doped SnO2 (Fe–SnO2) and g-C3N4, which effectively promoted the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. Moreover, the 1 wt%Fe–SCN composite had a layered structure with large surface area, which increased the contact area with pollutants and improved the photocatalytic activity.