Synthesis, characterization of g-C3 N4/SrTiO3 heterojunctions and photocatalytic activity for organic pollutants degradation

Abstract

Perovskite-structure SrTiO3 (STO) and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3 N4, CN) have attracted considerable attention in photocatalytic technology due to their unique properties, but also suffer from some drawbacks. The development of composite photocatalysts that combine properties of the individual semiconductors with enhanced charge separation is the current major trend in the photocatalysis field. In this study, SrTiO3 /g-C3 N4 (CNSTO) composites with different ratios (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% g-C3 N4) were prepared with a sonication mixing method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N2 porosimetry, Fourrier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance (DRS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). STO spherical particles were successfully loaded on the g-C3 N4 planes forming heterojunction composite materials. The photocatalytic activity was tested against the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under simulated solar light (SSL) irradiation following first-order kinetics. The photocatalytic activity followed the trend: 20CNSTO > 30CNSTO > 40CNSTO > 50CNSTO ≈ 10CNSTO, in accordance with the amount of• OH radicals determined by fluorescence spectroscopy. A Z-scheme mechanism was proposed for the enhanced photocatalytic degradation of MB as evidenced by trapping experiments with scavengers. Finally, significant stability and reusability was exhibited, indicating that such composites are of potential interest for photocatalytic treatments under sunlight irradiation.