Fabrication of highly efficient g-C 3 N 4 /ZnO/Fe 2 O 3 ternary composite with enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation

The development of an efficient and photostable heterostructured photocatalyst has attracted a great deal of attention for the degradation of organic pollutants under visible light. Herein, we have developed a highly efficient graphitic carbon nitride/zinc oxide/iron oxide (g-C 3 N 4 /ZnO/Fe 2 O 3 ) ternary composite photocatalysts that were prepared by a simple and cost-effective calcination method. The crystalline structure, functional groups, morphological and optical properties of the as-prepared g-C 3 N 4 /ZnO/Fe 2 O 3 (GZF) ternary composite were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and UV–Vis diffuse-reflectance spectroscopic techniques. The GZF composite reveals enhanced methylene blue (MB) degradation with good photostability of 100% retention rate even after 5 cycles under visible light irradiation. Moreover, GZF composite was degraded 94% of MB after 120 min under visible light irradiation which was almost 6.6- and 3.1-fold higher than individual g-C 3 N 4 (GCN) and g-C 3 N 4 /ZnO (GZ). The results suggest that the composites of g-C 3 N 4 with metal oxide under visible light significantly enhance the electron transfer process.