Visible-light-activated g-C3N4 nanosheet/carbon dot/FeOCl nanocomposites: Photodegradation of dye pollutants and tetracycline hydrochloride

Abstract Novel g-C3N4 nanosheet/carbon dot/FeOCl (denoted as C3N4-NS/CD/FeOCl) nanocomposites were fabricated for photodegradation of various pollutants and tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) as an antibiotic under visible light. In this research, C3N4-NS/CD/FeOCl photocatalysts were designed through a simple calcination procedure, and RhB, MB, CR, fuchsine, and TC-HCl were selected as model pollutants to test the elimination efficiency of the systems. The C3N4-NS/CD/FeOCl (10%) nanocomposite exhibited high efficiency for elimination of pollutants. The outcomes demonstrated that 250 mL of RhB solution could be successfully removed in 60 min with 0.1 g of the optimum nanocomposite. Besides, the C3N4-NS/CD/FeOCl (10%) system revealed that 99% of TC-HCl was removed within 45 min by photocatalytic reaction. The radical quenching experiments demonstrated that h+, ⦁OH, and ⦁O2− all contribute in the elimination reaction. Furthermore, the photoactivities of the C3N4-NS/CD/FeOCl (10%) had no remarkable decline after four recycles, demonstrating that they had supreme structural durability. The prepared ternary photocatalyst pursues a Z-scheme charge movement mechanism that leads to significant photoactivity under visible light. The superior photoability was assigned to excellent visible-light absorption and fast charge segregation and transportation characteristics. The present research serves as a fascinating route to design and extend striking C3N4-based Z-scheme feature as promising environmental purification and solar fuel generation materials.