α-Bi2(MoO4)3 nanorods decorated with two-dimensional g-C3N4 nanosheets for efficient degradation of doxycycline under visible light illumination

Abstract

Water pollution caused by pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) has been significant stress on the water management system. The development of effective and recyclable material for PPCPs removal has become essential. In the present work, a highly efficient g-C3N4/α-Bi2(MoO4)3 nanocomposites was prepared by a simple wet impregnation method and investigated as a catalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of doxycycline under visible light irradiation. The as-prepared catalysts with various mass ratios were systematically characterized with XRD, FT-IR, UV−vis, FE-SEM, EDX, FE-TEM, and XPS. The equal weight ratio (50:50) of g-C3N4/α-Bi2(MoO4)3 nanocomposite exhibits excellent visible light absorption and outstanding doxycycline photodegradation due to the improved separation efficiency of photo-generated charge carriers. After four consecutive cycles, the equal weight ratio (50:50) of g-C3N4/α-Bi2(MoO4)3 nanocomposite shows superior photostability. The scavenger study was carried out to investigate the role of active species in photodegradation activity. More superoxide radicals present on the surface of g-C3N4/α-Bi2(MoO4)3 nanocomposites can significantly enhance the photocatalytic performance. Therefore, a simple wet impregnation method was used to produce a low-cost g-C3N4/α-Bi2(MoO4)3 photocatalyst with the influential effects of removing pharmaceutical contaminants in water bodies.