Nanofibers Loaded with Nonthermal Nitrogen Plasma-Treated g-C₃N₄ for Efficient Visible Light-Driven Photodegradation of Omethoate

Abstract

Photocatalytic degradation is an effective strategy to reduce food safety risks caused by the residual organophosphorus pesticide omethoate in fruits and vegetables. In order to avoid secondary pollution of photocatalysts and reduce costs, in this paper, visible light-driven photocatalytic active composite nanofibers were successfully synthesized by loading nonthermal nitrogen plasma-treated graphite carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) onto poly(ethylene oxide) nanofibers. When the carbon nitride loading amount was 0.5%, the photodegradation rate of omethoate by nanofibers was the highest. Although the treatment of high-power nonthermal nitrogen plasma does not significantly affect the chemical structure of g-C 3 N 4 , it can change the abundance of its surface reactive sites. This modification significantly improved the photocatalytic activity of g-C 3 N 4 , increasing the photocurrent intensity by more than 90% and increasing the photodegradation rate of omethoate by more than 100%. Possible photocatalytic mechanisms have also been discussed. This work can further enhance the application potential of g-C 3 N 4 in the field of pesticide photocatalytic degradation.