Complete oxidation of acetaldehyde over a composite photocatalyst of graphitic carbon nitride and tungsten(VI) oxide under visible-light irradiation

Abstract

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was prepared by heating melamine and then its specific surface area was enlarged by hydrothermal treatment in aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. The g-C3N4 samples were blended with tungsten(VI) oxide (WO3) using a planetary mill in order to improve photocatalytic activity. The composite photocatalyst with optimized amounts of these contents showed higher photocatalytic activity for decomposition of acetaldehyde under visible-light irradiation than did original samples. From the results, we concluded that the composite photocatalyst utilizes both high oxidation ability of WO3 and high reduction ability of g-C3N4 by Z-scheme charge transfer.

Tungsten-based nanomaterials (WO 3 & Bi 2 WO 6 ): Modifications related to charge carrier transfer mechanisms and photocatalytic applications

“…The g-C 3 N 4 :WO 3 promoted the degradation of organic pollutants under visible light [13,[181][182][183][184][185]. The activity depends on the content of both the materials in the composite; appropriate content of WO 3 leads to good dispersion and contact to g-C 3 N 4 surface, while high content of Alternatively, this composite adopts Z-scheme charge transitions, if the main component is g- [183].…”

Novel magnetically separable g-C3N4/AgBr/Fe3O4 nanocomposites as visible-light-driven photocatalysts with highly enhanced activities

“…Photocatalytic activity of g-C 3 N 4 under visible-light irradiation can be further increased by combining with other semiconductors that have proper energy levels (such as ZnO, TiO 2 , CdS, and WO 3 ) [15][16][17][18]. This combination helps to transfer electrons from conduction band of g-C 3 N 4 to that of the combined semiconductor, which prolongs the life times of photogenerated charge carriers.…”

Facile synthesis of WO3 nanorods/g-C3N4 composites with enhanced photocatalytic activity

“…Therefore, many attempts have been made to improve the photocatalytic activity of WO 3 , such as modified with noble metals [38][39][40] and coupling with other semiconductors [41][42][43][44]. Recently, WO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 composites are considered to be a promising candidate for efficient photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation [45][46][47]. To the best of our knowledge, there are no reports on assembling of WO 3 nanorods (NRs) with g-C 3 N 4 as well as its application for pollutants degradation.…”