A novel Z-scheme g- C3N4/LaCoO3 heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic activity in degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride

A novel Z-scheme g-C3N4/LaCoO3 photocatalyst was prepared by a facial mixing-heating and precipitation method. Doping g-C3N4 on LaCoO3, the heterojunction exhibits excellent photocatalytic performance and stability compared with bare LaCoO3 in the degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC). The enhanced photocatalytic activity are attributed to the high separation efficiency of electron-hole pairs by the formation of Z-scheme heterojunction structure. The photocatalytic degradation rate of TC is up to 92% and the kinetic rate constant (k) of the optimal g-C3N4/LaCoO3 composite is about 14.5 times and 2.3 times of that of bare LaCoO3 and g-C3N4, respectively.