Photocatalytic Degradation of the Light Sensitive Organic Dyes: Methylene Blue and Rose Bengal by Using Urea Derived g-C3N4/ZnO Nanocomposites

Abstract

In this study, we report the fabrication of graphitic carbon nitride doped zinc oxide nanocomposites, g-C3N4/ZnO, (Zn-Us) by using different amount of urea. They were further characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman, UV-vis, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The prepared nanocomposites were used as photocatalysts for the mineralization of the light sensitive dyes Methylene Blue (MB) and Rose Bengal (RB) under UV light irradiation, and corresponding photo-mechanism was proposed. Benefiting from these photocatalytic characteristics, urea derived g-C3N4/ZnO photocatalysts have been found to have excellent photodegradation activity against the MB and RB for 6 h and 4 h, respectively. Under the given experimental conditions, the degradation percentage of fabricated Zn-Us were shown ~90% for both model dyes. Compared to cationic MB dye, anionic RB dye is more actively degraded on the surface of prepared photocatalysts. The results obtained can be effectively used for future practical applications in wastewater treatment

Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of Hybrid rGO@TiO2/CN Nanocomposite for Organic Pollutant Degradation under Solar Light Irradiation

“…where A 0 and A t refer to the initial absorbance and absorbance at the interval time (t) irradiation of the RhB dye, respectively. Furthermore, the rate constant of the photocatalytic degradation process of the RhB dye was evaluated by the Langmuir-Hinshelwood equation [36]:…”

Recent Advancement of the Current Aspects of g‐C3N4for its Photocatalytic Applications in Sustainable Energy System

“…The metal‐free polymeric visible light active graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C 3 N 4 ) analog to graphite has attracted significant attention in recent years due to its suitable band alignment and efficient redox potential for HER by its water splitting process, selective oxidation reactions in the presence of solar light, and the decomposition of organic waste pollutants and products. g‐C 3 N 4 is a layered structure with a large surface area, low bandgap energy (2.7 eV), and an electron‐rich surface known for its photocatalytic activity [291,292] . It has also been regarded as a promising material due to its superior physicochemical properties, including inflexibility, light weight, stability, chemical inertness, water resistivity, and biocompatibility, making it ideal for fabricating light‐emitting devices, hazardous chemical sensing electrodes, and photocatalysis processes [139] .…”

g-C3N4 Based Photocatalyst for the Efficient Photodegradation of Toxic Methyl Orange Dye: Recent Modifications and Future Perspectives

“…Figure 2 illustrates the triazine (C 3 N 3 ) and tri-striazine/heptazine (C 6 N 7 ) rings, which are the basic structural tectonic units of g-C 3 N 4 [ 60 ]. g-C 3 N 4 is a layered structure, having a large specific surface area, electron-rich surface, and suitable band gap energy of 2.7 eV, which promotes its photocatalytic efficiency [ 61 ]. g-C 3 N 4 composite-based materials are utilized widely in photocatalytic applications, owing to the low prices of their raw material, easy and simple synthesis, fascinating electronic band structure, high stability, as well as abundant availability [ 62 , 63 ].…”