Highly efficient visible-light-driven mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride/ZnO nanocomposite photocatalysts

In order to develop highly efficient visible-light induced photocatalysts, the zinc oxide (ZnO) hybridized with mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (mpg-C3N4) nanocomposite photocatalysts (mpg-C3N4/ZnO) were synthesized through simple one-step calcination in this paper. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), N2 physical adsorption, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), and photoluminescence spectra (PL). Subsequently, the photocatalytic performance of mpg-C3N4/ZnO was evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) aqueous solution under visible-light irradiation. The photocatalytic activities of the resultant mpg-C3N4/ZnO nanocomposites were enhanced outstandingly and much higher than that of pure mpg-C3N4 and ZnO. The improved photocatalytic activities of the mpg-C3N4/ZnO nanocomposites were ascribed to the exaltation of the separation efficiency of photoinduced electron-hole pairs, resulting from the heterojunction established between the interfaces of mpg-C3N4 and ZnO.