Ternary G-C3n4/Ag/Bivo4 Nanocomposite: Fabrication And Implementation To Remove Organic Pollutants

To remove toxins from water bodies, photocatalytic pollutant degradation seems efficient. Presently, a ternary g-C3N4/Ag/BiVO4 photocatalyst has been fabricated, where Ag nanoparticles act as electron shuttle and Ag/BiVO4 have been fixated on the surface of g-C3N4. To study the catalyst, XRD, HRTEM-EDX, FESEM along with EDS, elemental mapping, PL, UV-Vis DRS were performed, suggesting crystalline plate-like nanostructures with a low bandgap energy (2.41eV) and recombination rate. The surface area analysis via BET N-2 adsorption-desorption validated a high surface area (similar to 6.68 m(2)/g) for the composite comprising mesopores (46.13 nm). The photocatalyst degraded methylene blue (MB), a model dye, and fipronil (FIP), a model colorless insecticide with similar to 94% and similar to 74% efficiency at high rate constants (0.083 and 0.0167 min(-1), respectively). The heightened activity of the ternary composite was owned to greater electron-hole charge separation and the presence of hetero-junctions while maintaining enough redox properties. The pH and catalyst concentrations were varied and examined, 94.57% and 72.56% efficiency for MB and FIP at pH 8 and 4 with catalyst concentrations 0.13 and 0.06 g/L, respectively. The trapping experiments revealed the eloquent role played by (OH)-O-center dot (hydroxyl radical), O-2(center dot-) (superoxide radical), and h(+) (holes) in the pollutant degradation. To affirm the durability of the ternary composite, a reusability test was performed for 4 successive cycles (89.85% and 69.87% efficiency for MB and FIP). XRD analysis explicated its stability after photodegradation. The ternary composite can be considered as a promising photocatalyst owing to its feasible design and efficiency in visible light for toxin deposition. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.