Ag2CO3 nanoparticles decorated g-C3N4 as a high-efficiency catalyst for photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants

Visible light-driven Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 nanocomposite photocatalysts with different weight contents of Ag2CO3 were reported by combining two thermal annealing and simple chemical deposition methods. Ag2CO3 nanoparticles with an average particle size of 8.9 nm were homogeneously anchored on the surface of g-C3N4 nanosheets. The structure of Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 nanocomposite photocatalysts was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Ultraviolet-Visible absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis). Under visible light irradiation, the photocatalytic activity of Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 nanocomposite photocatalysts was investigated using the degradation of methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB). The Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 nanocomposite photocatalysts can effectively degrade MO and MB, and exhibit much higher photocatalytic activity than that of single catalyst Ag2CO3 or g-C3N4. The Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 nanocomposite photocatalysts with 60 wt% of Ag2CO3 (Ag2CO3/g-C3N4-6) presented the best photocatalytic performance. The photodegradation efficiency of the Ag2CO3/g-C3N4-6 nanocomposite is up to 93.9% in 180 min for MO and 62.8% in 240 min for MB under visible light irradiation. In addition, the pseudo-first-order kinetics data display that the rate constants of Ag2CO3/g-C3N4-6 nanocomposite are 0.01509 min(-1) and 0.00397 min(-1) for MO and MB, which are 7.0 and 3.0 times of g-C3N4, respectively. The excellent photocatalytic performance of Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 nanocomposite photocatalysts can be attributed to the decreased size of the Ag2CO3 nanoparticles, their uniform dispersion as well as the synergistic effect between the Ag2CO3 nanoparticles and g-C3N4 nanosheets, which broaden the range of visible light response and enhanced the separation of photogenerated charge carriers.

Automated summary

The visible light-driven Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 nanocomposite photocatalysts, with Ag2CO3 nanoparticles anchored on g-C3N4 nanosheets, showed excellent photocatalytic activity in degrading methyl orange and methylene blue. The nanocomposite with 60 wt% Ag2CO3 exhibited the best performance, achieving up to 93.9% degradation of MO and 62.8% degradation of MB under visible light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic performance can be attributed to the small size and uniform dispersion of Ag2CO3 nanoparticles, as well as the synergistic effect between Ag2CO3 and g-C3N4, leading to improved visible light response and enhanced charge carrier separation.