Construction of direct Z-scheme g-C3N4/BiYWO6 heterojunction photocatalyst with enhanced visible light activity towards the degradation of methylene blue

Construction of the Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst achieved highly improved photocatalytic ability by its high redox ability of the photoinduced e⁻-h⁺ pairs. In the study, Z-scheme g-C₃N₄/BiYWO₆ heterojunction photocatalyst is prepared by the single step hydrothermal method. Further, its photocatalytic ability was assessed by degrading methylene blue under visible light exposure. Particularly, the optimized 30 wt. % of g-C₃N₄ in the g-C₃N₄/BiYWO₆ composite exposes almost complete degradation after 90 min, that is ~ 3.0 times greater than the bare BiYWO₆ and g-C₃N₄ with the rate constant value 0.032 min^{− 1}. Experimentally, the radical trapping studies indicates O₂.⁻ and .OH radicals are playing vital role in the photocatalytic degradation process. Also, Z-scheme g-C₃N₄/BiYWO₆ heterojunction photocatalyst exhibits excellent photoelectrochemical property and it is stable after three cycles, which indicates its good reusability nature. These enhancements are due to the newly formed heterostructure that facilitates the migration and separation efficiency of the photoproduced e⁻-h⁺ pairs. Hence, the synthesized Z-scheme g-C₃N₄/BiYWO₆ heterostructure could be an excellent material for wastewater remediation works.