Here,
we report a simple hydrothermal method and in situ calcination
to synthesize ZnO/K-CN
x
heterostructure
nanocomposites. The optimized ZnO/K-CN0.5 exhibits excellent
photocatalytic degradation and adsorption efficiency of tetracycline
under simulated sunlight, and the degradation rate reaches 90% (the
adsorption removal rate is 50%). Moreover, ZnO/K-CN0.5 also
has high stability and recyclability. The excellent photocatalytic
activity can be attributed to the following factors. (1) The K-doped
exfoliated g-C3N4 nanosheet (K-CN) and the ZnO
nanorod form a unique type-II heterojunction that promotes the separation
of photogenerated carriers and provides very short photogenerated
carrier diffusion distances. (2) The surface ζ-potential can
enhance the adsorption capacity of tetracycline through electrostatic
attraction and repulsion, resulting in synergistic effects of photocatalysis
and adsorption. This work highlights the important role of integrating
doping and exfoliation techniques into type-II heterojunctions to
form nanocomposite photocatalyst materials, which have great potential
in environmental water pollution treatment and the maintenance of
human health.
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