S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst induced by nickel molybdate decorated graphitic carbon nitride for efficiently accelerating phenol degradation

• NiMoO 4 /g-C 3 N 4 S-scheme heterojunction nanoplates were successfully constructed through hydrothermal method . • NiMoO 4 /g-C 3 N 4 S-scheme heterojunction nanoplates extend the light adsorption range and enhance separation of photo-induced carriers. • The conversions of phenol can achieve to 79.3 % for 180 min using 3 wt% NiMoO 4 /g-C 3 N 4 . • OH·, h + and ·O 2 − are involved in the photocatalytic degradation of phenol throughout the formation of S-scheme heterojunction. In this work, a novel S-scheme heterojunction between nickel molybdate nanorods and layered graphitic carbon nitride was successfully prepared through a facile hydrothermal method for effective phenol photodegradation. The formation of nickel molybdate decorated graphitic carbon nitride (NiMoO 4 /g-C 3 N 4 ) heterojunction not only significantly improves the separation efficiency of photoinduced electron-hole but also expands the assimilation range of visible light. As a result, for the 3 wt% NiMoO 4 /g-C 3 N 4 sample, the degradation efficiency of phenol is the best, up to 79.3 % within 3 h under visible light irradiation, which is 1.9 times higher than that of the bare g-C 3 N 4 . The S-scheme heterojunction also shows favorable stability after five consecutive reuses. The work gives a novel research direction about reducing pollution and alleviating environmental pressure in the future.