Synthesis, Photophysical and Photocatalytic Properties of N-Doped Sodium Niobate Sensitized by Carbon Nitride

The N-doped NaNbO3 samples sensitized by carbon nitrides are synthesized via heating the mixture of NaNbO3 powders and urea at different weight ratios, and their photocatalytic activities are evaluated by the photodegradation of Rhodamine B under full arc Xe lamp irradiation. These samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope. These investigations reveal that the samples contain N-doped NaNbO3 and sensitizer of carbon nitride. fit comparison with pristine NaNbO3, the sample prepared at the weight ratio of NaNbO3 to Urea of 1:60 shows a significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity. These results demonstrate that the metal-free carbon nitride could work as a photosensitizer, leading to an enhancement of photocatalytic activity due to the more light harvesting and efficient electron transfer between the N-doped NaNbO3 and carbon nitride.