Novel ZnTi/C3N4/Ag LDH heterojunction composite for efficient photocatalytic phenol degradation

The utilization of solar energy with photocatalytic technology has been considered a good solution for environmental pollution and energy shortage. The preparation of heterojunction composite has been proven as a promising approach to prevent the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers in photocatalysis. In this work, the heterostructure of ZnTi/C3N4/Ag LDH has been synthesized through a self-assembly method for the first time. Based on the UV-Vis absorption spectra, it was revealed that the incorporation of Ag nanoparticle and C3N4 on ZnTi LDH leads to a broad visible-light absorption and promotes charge transfer. The photocatalyst phenol degradation results show that ZnTi/C3N4/Ag LDH performs superior photocatalyst activity under visible light (>380 nm) exposure with 76.6% of phenol has degraded during the photocatalyst test. These findings are expected to provide insights into the design of visible light driven photocatalyst in environmental remediation and energy conversion.

Automated summary

The synthesis of ZnTi/C3N4/Ag LDH heterostructure through self-assembly method has led to the development of an efficient visible light photocatalyst with broad spectrum absorption and superior photocatalytic activity.