Supporting 1-D AgVO3 nanoribbons on single layer 2-D graphitic carbon nitride ultrathin nanosheets and their excellent photocatalytic activities

A novel AgVO3/C3N4 hybrid material was synthesized by supporting AgVO3 nanoribbons on the surface of single layer graphitic C3N4 ultrathin nanosheets via a facile one-step in situ hydrothermal method. The structures, morphologies, and optical properties of the photocatalyst were comprehensively characterized by XRD, XPS, FTIR, AFM, FESEM, EDS, TEM, HRTEM, DRS and PL spectra. The photocatalytic performances of hybrid material, AgVO3/C3N4, were evaluated by degradation of Basic Fuchsin (BF) and Bisphenol A (BPA) under visible light irradiation. The experimental results indicated that AgVO3/C3N4 was highly efficient and stable in catalyzing the degradation reactions. The photo-degradation of BF using AgVO3/C3N4 exhibited the highest reaction rate constant k of 0.0552 min(-1), which was about 10 and 6 times higher than those using pure C3N4 (0.0058 min(-1)) or pure AgVO3 (0.0097 min(-1)). The hybridization of AgVO3 with C3N4 ultrathin nanosheets caused good adsorptive capacity, formed the small widths of the AgVO3 nanoribbons, facilitated charge transfer, and suppressed recombination of electron-hole pairs in AgVO3/C3N4. These multi-factors enhanced the photocatalytic performance of AgVO3/C3N4. Calculations based on Mulliken electronegativity theory indicated that AgVO3 and C3N4 had suitable band edges for promoting charge separation at the heterojunction interfaces. The proposed mechanism on the enhanced photocatalytic performance is also discussed according to the band energy structure and the experimental results. The present study will benefit the development of other novel composite photocatalyst of 1-D nanomaterials hybrided with 2-D nanosturctures to meet the environmental demands in the future. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.