Enhancement of Rhodamine B Degradation by Ag Nanoclusters-Loaded g-C3N4 Nanosheets

Abstract

In this paper, silver (Ag) nanoclusters-loaded graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) nanosheets are synthesized and their physical properties as well as photocatalytic activities are systematically investigated by different techniques. The existence of Ag atoms in the form of nanoclusters (NCs) rather than well-crystallized nanoparticles are evidenced by X-ray diffraction patterns, SEM images, and XPS spectra. The deposition of Ag nanoclusters on the surface of g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets affect the crystal structure and slightly reduce the band gap energy of g-C 3 N 4 . The sharp decrease of photoluminescence intensity indicates that g-C 3 N 4 /Ag heterojunctions successfully prevent the recombination of photo-generated electrons and holes. The photocatalytic activities of as-synthesized photocatalysts are demonstrated through the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) solutions under Xenon lamp irradiation. It is demonstrated that the photocatalytic activity depends strongly on the molar concentration of Ag + in the starting solution. The g-C 3 N 4 /Ag heterojunctions prepared from 0.01 M of Ag + starting solution exhibit the highest photocatalytic efficiency and allow 100% degradation of RhB after being exposed for 60 min under a Xenon lamp irradiation, which is four times faster than that of pure g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets.

Photocatalytic Activity Enhancement of Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanosheets by Modification with Ag33(4-MePhC≡C)22(Dppp)4 Nanoclusters

“…However, elemental mapping clearly showed the smooth distribution of not only C and N but also Ag on g-C 3 N 4 . This confirmed the presence of element Ag on g-C 3 N 4 . , …”

Fe-Doped g-C3N4: High-Performance Photocatalysts in Rhodamine B Decomposition

“…Studies based on g-C 3 N 4 have been mostly carried out in attempt to reduce the recombination rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, in addition to reduce the energy band gap. Effective procedures may be referred to as—(i) creating heterojunctions like semiconductor-semiconductor [ 29 , 30 , 31 ] or metal-semiconductor [ 32 , 33 , 34 ] in order to effectively separate electrons and holes; (ii) doping metallic elements into g-C 3 N 4 as electron trapping centers [ 35 , 36 ], leaving highly oxidized holes. Recent works showed that the incorporation of metal ions into g-C 3 N 4 polymerization network not only improves charge carrier lifetime and mobilities but also reduces the band gap of g-C 3 N 4 .…”

Rice Crust-Like ZnO/Ti3C2Tx MXene Hybrid Structures for Improved Photocatalytic Activity

“…In particular, the presence of a small number of dyes in solution is highly visible. The natural deterioration of these dyes in wastewater is very difficult and takes a long time with complicated processes [9,10].…”