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

Abstract 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.