Novel V-BiOIO3/g-C3N4/WC Schottky heterojunction with optimizing optical absorption and charge transfer for abatement of tetracycline antibiotics

A novel Schottky heterojunction was obtained by co-calcining fish-scale tubular carbon nitride (FTCN), V-BiOIO3 and Tungsten carbide (WC) for photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH). The novel Schottky heterojunction has been analyzed by several characterizations and experiments. The case of photocatalytic degradation was studied for different initial concentrations, electrolyte and pH, respectively. The experiments have indicated that the V-BiOIO3/g-C3N4/WC performed an excellent activity of photocatalytic for TCH degradation (89.0%). In the mechanism analysis, we first deduce that the V-BiO3/FTCN compound belongs to the S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts based on the properties of the band gap structure, which can effectively suppress recombination of joint carriers. Secondly, the introduction of the cocatalyst WC formed Schottky junction, which could play a role as an electronic library to trap e− and promote the separation of photo-induced carrier and thus maximize the strong oxidation ability of h+. In addition, the introduction of WC could also significantly enhance the optical absorption properties of the composites. This research could provide a new idea for the construction of novel and efficient carbon nitride-based photocatalysts under VSL (visible light), and promote its practical application in environmental remediation.