Enhancement Of Photocatalytic Activity Research Articles

Construction of a novel S-scheme AgVO3/CaIn2S4 heterostructure for efficient photodegradation of tetracycline hydrochloride.

Constructing an S-scheme system with highly active catalysts is a significant approach for improving the separation of photoinduced carriers to solve the related environmental aggravation. In this study, a well-designed S-scheme AgVO3/CaIn2S4 photocatalyst was synthesized for water purification by in situ growing CaIn2S4 nanocrystals on AgVO3 nanorod surfaces. The optimized AgVO3/CaIn2S4 heterostructure demonstrates an enhanced photocatalytic efficiency (94.1%) toward tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) degradation compared with bare AgVO3 (42.6%) and CaIn2S4 (81.6%). The significant enhancement of photocatalytic activity is attributed to the S-scheme charge transfer mechanism in the AgVO3/CaIn2S4 heterostructure, which effectively directs photogenerated charge migration, boosts charge transfer, and preserves the high redox capacity of photoexcited electrons and holes on different active sites. This study is expected to offer insights into strategically designing and preparing S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts to improve water purification.

Self-assembled composite heterojunction material PDIsm/BiOCOOH promotes photocatalytic degradation of levofloxacin

A broad-spectrum responsive organic-inorganic heterojunction was synthesized by in-situ self-assembled perylene diimide (PDIsm) through π-π stacking onto the surface of flower-like BiOCOOH. The PDIsm/BiOCOOH with different compositions exhibited enhanced photocatalytic degradation of levofloxacin under visible light irradiation. Among them, 10% PDIsm/BiOCOOH had the best photocatalytic activity, which was 4.6 and 14.1 times higher than pure PDIsm and BiOCOOH, respectively. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity was mainly attributed to the introduction of PDIsm which significantly improved the light absorption in almost the whole visible light range. Besides, the formed heterojunctions facilitate the separation and transfer of photogenerated charge carriers. In addition, after five cycles of degradation, the degradation rate of the PDIsm/BiOCOOH composite for levofloxacin hydrochloride remained above 75%, indicating its good photocatalytic activity and stability. Furthermore, free radical capture experiments and electron spin resonance experiments verify that •O2‾ and h+ were the active species generated in the photocatalytic process. Combining the experimental results of high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, a possible photocatalytic reaction mechanism was proposed. This work provides a way to prepare an efficient organic-inorganic photocatalyst, which can potentially be utilized in environmental remediation under visible light.

Introducing a Pyrazinoquinoxaline Derivative into a Metal-Organic Framework: Achieving Fluorescence-Enhanced Detection for Cs+ and Enhancing Photocatalytic Activity.

Conventional photoresponsive materials have low photon utilization due to irregular distribution of photoactive groups, which severely limits the related real applications. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can modulate the regular arrangement of functional groups to improve the electron transport paths and enhance the photon utilization, which provides strong support for the development of photoactive materials with excellent performance. In this work, one effective strategy for constructing a photoactive MOF had been developed via the utilization of Cd2+ and pyrazinoquinoxaline tetracarboxylic acid. The structural advantages of the Cd-MOF, such as a porous structure, abundant subject-object interaction sites, and a stable framework, ensure the prerequisite for various applications, while the better synergistic effect of Cd3 clusters and the pyrazinoquinoxaline derivative ensures efficient electron transfer efficiency. Therefore, by virtue of these structural advantages, the Cd-MOF can achieve fluorescence quenching detection for a variety of substrates, such as Fe3+, Cr2O72-, MnO4-, nitrofuran antibiotics, and TNP explosives, while fluorescence enhancement detection can be achieved for halogen ions, Cs+, Pb2+, and NO2-. In addition, the Cd-MOF can be used as a photocatalyst to successfully achieve the photocatalytic conversion of benzylamine to N-benzylbenzimidate under mild conditions. Thus, the Cd-MOF as a whole shows the possibility of application as a diverse fluorescence detection and photocatalyst and also illustrates the feasibility of preparing high-performance photoactive materials using the pyrazinoquinoxaline derivative.

Metal-alcohol coordination promoted reduction of bismuth (III) in bismuth-based semiconductors for enhanced photocatalytic activity

Metal ion doping is an extensively researched method to enhance photocatalytic activity of bismuth-based semiconductors, but function of the metal ions need be further clarified. Herein, metal-alcohol coordination was evidenced to promote reduction of BiIII in Bi-based semiconductors (e.g., Bi2MoO6 hierarchical microspheres) to generated oxygen vacancies (Ovs) and Bi metal (Bi0). Ovs and Bi0, rather than widely recognized doping metal ions, play a key role for remarkable enhancement of photocatalytic activity of Bi2MoO6, for example of ∼16-fold higher photocatalytic nitrogen reduction activity, which arises from that the Ovs and Bi0 can enhance photoexcited charge separation and work as surface active sites. The Ovs possess much greater efficacy than the Bi0. Formation of Bi0 also induces prominent morphological variation of the microspheres. This work discloses an interesting but neglected phenomenon in alcohothermal synthesis of “metal-doped” Bi-based semiconductors and aims at drawing high attention of relevant researchers.

Assembling Ag@CuO/UiO-66-NH2 nanocomposites for efficient photocatalytic degradation of xylene.

Achieving efficient and stable photocatalytic degradation of xylene hinges on the advancement of photocatalytic materials with outstanding visible light activity. This low-carbon strategy serves as a promising solution to combat air pollution effectively. In this study, we synthesized a Z-scheme heterojunction Ag@CuO/UiO-66-NH2 nanocomposite by hydrothermal method to investigate its photodegradation properties for xylene gas under visible light conditions. XRD, XPS, SEM, FTIR, and UV-vis analyses were employed to confirm the presence of the Z-scheme heterojunction. The CuO/UiO-66-NH2 (CuU-2) composite has high photocatalytic activity, which is 2.37 times that of the original UiO-66-NH2. The incorporation of Z-scheme heterojunction facilitates efficient charge transfer and separation, leading to a substantial enhancement in photocatalytic activity. The Ag@CuO/UiO-66-NH2 (Ag-1@CuU) composite has the highest photocatalytic activity with a degradation efficiency of 84.12%, which is 3.36 times and 1.41 times that of UiO-66-NH2 and CuO/UiO-66-NH2, respectively. The silver cocatalyst improves the absorption capacity of the composite material to visible light, makes the ultraviolet visible absorption edge redshift, and significantly improves the photocatalytic performance. This study introduces a novel approach for xylene gas degradation and offers a versatile strategy for designing and synthesizing metal-organic framework (MOF)-based photocatalysts with exceptional performance.

Enhancement of photocatalytic activity in SrTiO3 with doping of MgO nanoparticles

In recent years, photocatalytic activity (PA) using semiconductor nanoparticles has gained attention, especially with titanium dioxide (TiO2) due to its broad activity spectrum [1-2]. There are several applications for this technique, including the purification of water, control of air pollution, and soil gradation. In the present study, trace amounts of magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgONPs) have been doped in SrTiO3 ceramics to enhance PA. The MgONPs have been prepared using the sol-gel auto-combustion method during continuous stirring while heating at 70°C and in neutral conditions (pH=7.0). The MgONPs doped SrTiO3 ceramics with compositions of Sr1-xMgxTiO3 (x = 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15) have been synthesized by two-stage solid-state reaction at 900°C calcination and 1200°C sintering temperatures. Analyses of the samples are in progress using EDS, FESEM, XRD, and UV-visible techniques to identify the effects of doping on the structure of the samples.

Facial Construction of Hydroxyl Functional Modified Ultrafine BiPO4 with Variation of Dipole Moment Induced by –OH Group

The hydroxyl groups generated by hydrolysis are grafted onto the surface of BiPO4, and a stable surface hydroxylation structure is formed during the subsequent calcination process. This would facilitate the formation of a new hydroxyl functional structure on the surface of the parent photocatalyst without damaging its intrinsic structure. Synchronous illumination X‐Ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the hydroxyl functional ultrafine BiPO4 can realize the conversion of defective oxygen to lattice oxygen, which is more conducive in improving the photocatalytic efficiency. The process of filling hydroxyl oxygen vacancies and forming a stable structure is explored using in‐ situ infrared spectroscopy. The induced dipole moment promotes the separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, which is beneficial for the enhancement of photocatalytic activity. The dipole moment of the hydroxyl functional‐modified ultrafine BiPO4 is −1.409 D compared to −1.385 D for ordinary BiPO4. The results of this study indicate that hydroxyl functional structure and reduced sample granularity are effective strategies to improve the photocatalytic performance of BiPO4.

Enhanced Catalytic Performance of Ag NP/0.95AgNbO3-0.05LiTaO3 Heterojunction from the Combination of Surface Plasma Resonance Effect and Piezoelectric Effect Using Facile Mechanical Milling.

An internal built electric field can suppress the recombination of electron-hole pairs and distinctly enhance the catalytic activity of a photocatalyst. Novel t-Ag/0.95AgNbO3-0.05LiTaO3 heterojunction was prepared by reducing silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on the surface of the piezoelectric powder 0.95AgNbO3-0.05LiTaO3 (0.05-ANLT) using a simple mechanical milling method. The effects of milling time and excitation source used for the degradation of organic dye by heterojunction catalysts were investigated. The results demonstrate that the optimized 1.5-Ag/0.05-ANLT heterojunction removes 97% RhB within 40 min, which is 7.8 times higher than that of single piezoelectric catalysis and 25.4 times higher than that of single photocatalysis. The significant enhancement of photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the synergistic coupling of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect and the piezoelectric effect.

Enhancing photocatalysis through annealing: Unveiling the role of physical properties in photocatalytic behavior

Using spray pyrolysis, silver-doped In2S3 thin films were deposited on pre-heated glass substrates, with varying doping concentrations. Subsequently, these films underwent vacuum annealing at 400 °C for a duration of 2 h. A comprehensive study of their structural, morphological, and optical properties was conducted, revealing homogeneous, compact, crack-free films with polycrystalline tetragonal-phase of In2S3. Among the set of the analyzed films the best parameter values, including crystallite size, dislocation density, micro-strain, grain size, and root mean square (RMS) roughness, were achieved when maintaining a Silver-to-indium (|Ag|/|In|) ratio of 4 % in the precursors for both as-deposited and annealed samples. The annealing process had a discernible impact on the grain size distribution, resulting in a significant increase in crystallite and grain size, along with RMS roughness, for most doped films. The optical analysis of these films unveiled their transparency in the visible and near-infrared regions, coupled with substantial absorption in the UV region. Higher Ag concentration in the as-deposited films led to an increased band gap energy in the annealed samples. The roughness peaked at |Ag|/|In| = 4 %, resulting in a noteworthy enhancement of photocatalytic activity, achieving 95 % photodegradation of a methylene blue aqueous solution. This underscores the critical role of surface properties in determining performance. Future research intends to explore other applications for these thin films, including potential usage in gas sensors, capitalizing these films' promising characteristics.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of surface-treated TiO2 mesoporous film by 500 eV argon ion beam

The surface sensitivity profiling feature of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) regularly calls for sample surface treatment through irradiation with beam of argon ion. The beam potentially ensures surface cleanliness against contaminations under ultra-high vacuum conditions for elemental identification. This work systematically and elegantly employs an argon ion (Ar+) beam to create oxygen vacancies in TiO2 mesoporous film at different time of radiation exposure. Survey spectra acquired from XPS compositionally indicates the presence of oxygen (O 1s), titanium (Ti 2p) and carbon (C 1s). Three peaks were detected in the spectra of O 1s at high-resolution XPS which can be linked to oxygen vacancy, lattice oxygen and adsorbed oxygen while increase in radiation exposure time leads to increase in oxygen vacancy concentration. The presence of Ti3+ was observed in Ti 2p spectra analysis and indicates the creation of oxygen vacancies due to Ti4+ reduction. The potential of Ar+ to induce oxygen vacancies in TiO2 mesoporous film as demonstrated in this work would facilitate photocatalytic activity enhancement of TiO2 semiconductor films for different applications.

Ag3PO4/Bi2WO6 Heterojunction Photocatalyst with Remarkable Visible-Light-Driven Catalytic Activity

Novel Ag3PO4/Bi2WO6 catalysts with enhanced visible-light performance were synthesized using a hydrothermal method and characterized to investigate their morphology, microscopic structure, and binding energies. Photoluminescence spectrum (PL) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) data demonstrate that the formed Ag3PO4/Bi2WO6 heterojunction effectively promotes hole (h+)–electron (e−) separation and transfer efficiency, resulting in the enhancement of photocatalytic activity. Ag3PO4/Bi2WO6 displays higher photocatalytic activity than pure Bi2WO6 or Ag3PO4 alone. Photogenerated holes (h+), ·O2−, and ·OH were found to be the main active species for the degradation of malachite green (MG), methylene blue (MB), and Rhodamine B (RhB). The DFT calculation explains the photostability of Ag3PO4/Bi2WO6 from the perspective of electronic structure. The bandgap of Ag3PO4/Bi2WO6 between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) is 1.41 eV, compared with that of Ag3PO4 at 0.91 eV and Bi2WO6 at 2.59 eV. Ag–O–Bi hybridization and the wide HOMO–LUMO bandgap lead to difficulty in electron transfer. As a consequence, Ag+ is difficult to obtain electrons and difficult to convert into Ag0, which makes the catalyst stable.

Promoted Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution by Tuning the Electronic State of Copper Sites in Metal‐Organic Supramolecular Assemblies

AbstractThe electronic state in terms of charge and spin of metal sites is fundamental to govern the catalytic activity of a photocatalyst. Herein, we show that modulation of the electronic states of Cu sites, without changing the coordination environments, of two metal‐organic supramolecular assemblies based on π⋅⋅⋅π stacking can significantly improve photocatalytic activity. The use of these heterogeneous photocatalysts, without using noble metal cocatalysts, resulted in an increase of the hydrogen production rate from 522 to 3620 μmol h−1 g−1. A systematical analysis revealed that the charge density and spin density of the metal centers are efficiently modulated via the modulation of the coordination fields around active copper (II) centers by the variation of the non‐coordination groups of terminal ligands, leading to the significant enhancement of photocatalytic activity. This work provides an insight into the electronic state of active metal centers for designing high‐performance photocatalysts.

Enhancing Photocatalytic Activity of Bismuth Ferrite (BiFeO3) via Gadolinium and Copper Doping: A Sol-Gel Synthesis and Characterization Study

In this current research work, the sol-gel method was employed to synthesise, characterize and evaluate the photocatalytic activity of bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3, BFO) doped with two distinctive components consisting of a rare earth element Gadolinium (Gd) and a transition metal Copper (Cu). The dopant concentrations were systematically varied with different weight percentages (wt.%) denoted as Bi1-xGdxFe1-yCuyO3 (where ‘x’ = 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20 wt.%, where ‘y’ = 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15 wt.%). Subsequently, characterizations of the prepared samples were conducted using an array of cutting-edge analytical techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), filed emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The XRD analysis results indicated that the presence of small impurity peaks was found in both Gd-doped BFO and GdCu-doped BFO. The FE-SEM and TEM results provided confirmation that the material was observed as a spherical shape, and the elemental compositions were also confirmed through EDAX analysis. The photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B dye under the influence of visible light irradiation was carried out and the results revealed varying degradation times, specifically, for Gd and Cu-doped BFO (Gd and Cu = 0.1 wt.%) achieved almost 98% degradation occurred in 30 minutes.

The enhancement of photocatalytic activity of porous g-C3N4@TiO2 nanotubes heterostructure

The g-C3N4 nanosheets were uniformly grown on TiO2 nanotubes with porous structure via the improved methods of impregnation calcination and facial vapor deposition. The photocatalytic performance of the g-C3N4/TiO2 nanotubes was evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange solution (MO) and exhibited higher photodegradation rate than the pure g-C3N4 or TiO2 nanotubes under xenon light irradiation, which may be attributed to the increased specific surface area and efficiently separation of photon-generated electrons/holes by the heterostructure. This work provides a simple and efficient scheme of manufacturing porous heterostructure nanotubes for environmental and energy applications.

Synthesis of Chrysanthemum‐Like BiOBr Microspheres by Structure Induction of Chitosan for Enhancing Photocatalytic Activity

AbstractPhotocatalysis is a green technology with important application prospects in environmental fields such as wastewater treatment. Herein, we synthesized chrysanthemum‐like BiOBr microspheres (CLB0.45) by introduction of structure guide and soft‐template. Natural biomass chitosan (CS) in the precursor of BiOBr successfully suppressed the growth of both (001) and (102) lattice planes through the solvent effect, and promoted the exposure of (110) lattice planes that dominated the photocatalytic performance. Significantly, the polymer chains regulated the nanosheets of BiOBr to accurately self‐assemble. The obtained CLB0.45 had narrower band gap and more active sites due to surface defects, and the photocatalysts have higher photo‐electron hole pairs separation efficiency. Additionally, the degradation performance towards rhodamine B (RhB; 99.7 %, 30 min) of the CLB0.45 was increased, which was 4.6 times higher than that of pure BiOBr. The degradation rate of tetracycline (TC) was also excellent (85.3 %). The photodegradation mechanism of CLB0.45 was proposed and verified. In summary, the prepared CLB0.45, obtained through structure guiding and using a soft template, have a promising future in the photocatalytic purification of organic pollutants.

Electrocatalytic and photocatalytic activities of hierarchically structured zinc oxide nanoparticles derived from cellulose paper-precipitated hydrozincite

This study presents a novel method for synthesizing hierarchical porous zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures by thermally decomposing green-synthesized hydrozincite. The hydrozincite was prepared at room temperature using zinc acetate dihydrate and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in cellulose printing papers as the precipitating agent. The resulting ZnO particles exhibit a distinctive flower-like morphology, consisting of porous nanosheets composed of interconnected nanoparticles. The average crystallite size of the hierarchically structured zinc oxide nanoparticles, as determined via X-ray diffraction Rietveld refinement method, was found to be 18.8 nm when calcined at 500 °C. However, with increasing calcination temperature to 600, 700, and 800 °C, the average crystallite size also increased to 24.3, 30.4, and 47.2 nm, respectively. The ZnO synthesized at temperatures of 500 °C, 600 °C, and 700 °C exhibits higher electrocatalytic activity toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) compared to both the ZnO synthesized at 800 °C and commercial ZnO. This enhanced performance can be primarily attributed to the nanosized ZnO particles, which provide a substantial surface area, high accessibility of active sites, and fast charge transfer kinetics. In terms of photocatalytic activity, all the samples show HER improvement under the UV light irradiation, attributed to the generation of photoexcited charge carriers. The ZnO synthesized at 800 °C and the commercial ZnO exhibit greater enhancements in photocatalytic activity compared to the other samples. This implies that larger solid particles with fewer nanopores result in a greater exposed surface area for UV-light absorption. The hierarchically structured ZnO nanoparticles demonstrate promising electrocatalytic and photocatalytic activities, as well as stability, opening up potential applications in various fields, including energy conversion and environmental remediation.

Enhancement of photocatalytic activity of Ba-doped CoO for degradation of Emamectin benzoate in aqueous solution.

The present study was focused on the preparation of cobalt oxide (CoO) and barium-doped cobalt oxide (Ba-doped CoO) by following the co-precipitation method for the degradation of Emamectin benzoate pesticide in the aqueous medium. The prepared catalysts were characterized using SEM, EDX, and XRD to confirm the formation of catalysts and to observe the variation in the composition of catalysts during the degradation study. It can be suggested from the results of SEM, EDX, XRD, and FTIR analyses that Ba atom has successfully incorporated in the crystalline structure of CoO. The degradation of Emamectin benzoate pesticide was studied under the influence of different factors like solution pH, the dose of catalyst, contact time, temperature, and initial concentration of pesticide. It was observed that solution pH affects the degradation of the pesticide, and maximum degradation (23% and 54%) was found at pH 5.0 and 6.0 using CoO and Ba-doped CoO, respectively. The degradation of pesticides was found to be increased continuously (27-35% in case of CoO while 47-58% in case Ba-doped CoO) with the time of contact. However, the degradation was found to be decreased (23-3% in case of CoO while 47-44% in case Ba-doped CoO) with an increase in temperature. Likewise, in the beginning, degradation was observed to be increased up to some extent with the dose of catalyst and initial concentration of pesticide but started to decrease with further augmentation in the dose of catalyst and initial concentration of pesticide. It may be concluded from this study that doping of Ba considerably enhanced the photocatalytic ability of CoO for Emamectin benzoate pesticide.

Enhancing the Photocatalytic Activity by Tailoring an Anodic Aluminum Oxide Photonic Crystal to the Semiconductor Catalyst: At the Example of Iron Oxide

AbstractPhotonic crystals (PhCs) are interesting structures for photocatalytic applications because of their capability of harnessing distinct forms of light–matter interactions within the PhCs. Of all these, overlapping one of the photonic stopband's (PSB) edge with the absorption of the PhC material or adsorbed molecules improves their excitation and generated charge carriers can subsequently induce photocatalytic reactions. The PSB position of anodic aluminum oxide PhCs (AAO‐PhCs) can be easily adjusted by modifying the anodization profile. Herein, AAO‐PhCs are designed to match the band gap of a model semiconductor enabling a general photocatalytic activity enhancement independent of the chemical to be decomposed. Fe2O3, as an example photocatalyst, is coated onto AAO‐PhCs to demonstrate efficient photocatalytic systems by utilizing the slow photon effect. Tailored Fe2O3‐AAO‐PhCs with their PSB edge at 564 nm matching the Fe2O3 band gap exhibit generally enhanced degradation of three different organic dyes while a significant activity decrease is observed when the PSB edge does not overlap with the Fe2O3 absorption. Furthermore, photocatalyst degradation can be reduced down to only 4% activity loss over six consecutive measurements by an ultra‐thin alumina coating.

Enhancement in photocatalytic activity and biological properties of Sm doped ZnO nanostructures by the increase in Sm contents

The impact of Sm on the photocatalytic and biological properties of ZnO was explored in this study. The sol–gel approach was used to produce undoped and Sm-doped ZnO nanostructures by using Sm 6–10 wt%. The functional groups that appeared in the prepared nanostructures were identified by FTIR. Sm-doped ZnO exhibited a hexagonal wurtzite ZnO structure and Sm ions were successfully embedded into the ZnO matrix. The size of the crystallites was enhanced as the Sm content was increased, pointing to potential applications in photocatalysis and biological science. These nanocrystals were expected to break down bacterial and chemical pollutants in water when exposed to visible sunshinewavelengths. 9 wt% Sm in ZnO had shown the best photocatalytic performance. The effects of Sm concentration on antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (K. Pneumonia) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were probed in this research through agar well diffusion method. Sm doped ZnO nanostructures were effective against all selected bacterial strains. The development of sensors, photovoltaic panels, wastewater treatment and water-splitting applications are the few applications of Sm-doped ZnO.

Enhanced Sunlight-Powered Photocatalysis and Methanol Oxidation Activities of Co3O4-Embedded Polymeric Carbon Nitride Nanostructures.

The contamination of water by organic substances poses a significant global challenge. To address these pressing environmental and energy concerns, this study emphasizes the importance of developing effective photocatalysts powered by sunlight. In this research, we achieved the successful synthesis of a novel photocatalyst comprised of polymeric carbon nitride (CN) nanosheets embedded with Co3O4 material, denoted as CN-CO. The synthesis process involved subjecting the mixture to 500 °C for 10 h in a muffle furnace. Structural and morphological analyses confirmed the formation of CN-CO nanostructures, which exhibited remarkable enhancements in photocatalytic activity for the removal of methylene blue (MB) pollutants under replicated sunlight. After 90 min of exposure, the degradation rate reached an impressive 98.9%, surpassing the degradation rates of 62.3% for pure CN and 89.32% for pure Co3O4 during the same time period. This significant improvement can be attributed to the exceptional light captivation capabilities and efficient charge separation abilities of the CN-CO nanostructures. Furthermore, the CN-CO nanostructures demonstrated impressive photocurrent density-time (j-t) activity under sunlight, with a photocurrent density of 2.51 μA/cm2 at 0.5 V. The CN-CO nanostructure exhibited excellent methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) activity with the highest current density of 83.71 mA/cm2 at an optimal 2 M methanol concentration, benefiting from the synergy effects of CN and CO in the nanostructure. Overall, this study presents a straightforward and effective method for producing CN-based photocatalysts decorated with semiconductor nanosized materials. The outcomes of this research shed light on the design of nanostructures for energy-related applications, while also providing insights into the development of efficient photocatalytic materials for addressing environmental challenges.