Accelerated separation of photogenerated charge carriers and enhanced photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4 by Bi2S3 nanoparticles

Employing photothermal conversion to improve the photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4 is rarely reported previously. Herein, different ratios of g-C3N4/Bi2S3 heterojunction materials are synthesized by a facile ultrasonic method. Advanced characterizations such as X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy are employed to analyze the morphology and structure of the prepared materials. Compared with sole counterparts, the heterojunction materials CN-BiS-2 exhibit significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance, which is 2.05-fold as g-C3N4 and 4.42-fold as Bi2S3. A possible degradation pathway of methylene blue (MB) was proposed. Based on the photoproduced high-energy electrons and photothermal effect of Bi2S3, the transfer and separation of electron-hole pairs are greatly enhanced and more active species are produced. In addition, the relatively high utilization efficiency of solar energy has synergistic effect for the better photocatalytic performance.