Construction of g-C3N4-mNb2O5 composites with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

Abstract

A series of composites consisting of g-C3 N4 sheet and mesoporous Nb2 O5 (mNb2 O5) microsphere were fabricated by in situ hydrolysis deposition of NbCl5 onto g-C3 N4 sheet followed by solvothermal treatment. The samples were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The photocatalytic activity of the composites was studied by degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm). Compared with g-C3 N4 and mNb2 O5, g-C3 N4-mNb2 O5 composites have higher photocatalytic activity due to synergistic effect between g-C3 N4 and mNb2 O5. Among these composites, 4% g-C3 N4-mNb2 O5 has the highest efficiency and good recyclability for degradation of both RhB and TC-HCl.