Facile one-pot synthesis of carbon self-doped graphitic carbon nitride loaded with ultra-low ceric dioxide for high-efficiency environmental photocatalysis: Organic pollutants degradation and hexavalent chromium reduction

In the present study, an innovative carbon self-doped g-C3N4 (CCN) loaded with ultra-low CeO2 (0.067-0.74 wt%) composite photocatalyst is successfully synthesized via a facile one-pot hydrothermal and calcination method. The CeO2/CCN exhibits superior photocatalytic performance for tetracycline degradation (78.9% within 60 min), H2O2 production (151.92 mu mol L-1 within 60 min), and Cr(VI) reduction (99.5% within 40 min), which much higher than that of g-C3N4, CCN, CeO2, and CeO2/g-C3N4. The enhanced photocatalytic performance is originated from the fact that the doping of C can efficaciously broaden the utilization range of solar light and improve the reduction ability of photogenerated electrons. Meanwhile, the ultra-low loading of CeO2 can effectually promote the migration of photogenerated electrons and enhance the specific surface area. Besides, the experiments of pH effect and cycle ability indicate that CeO2/CCN has excellent durability and stability. Finally, the photocatalytic mechanism of CeO2 CCN is systematically discussed. This work proves that combining element doping and semiconductor coupling is a promising strategy to design high-efficiency g-C3N4-based photocatalysts. (C) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The CeO2/CCN composite photocatalyst shows superior catalytic performance in tetracycline degradation, H2O2 production, and Cr(VI) reduction, attributed to the doping of carbon expanding the solar light utilization range, CeO2 enhancing the migration of photogenerated electrons, and excellent durability and stability.