One-Step Hydrothermal Deposition of Ag-Doped g-C3N4-TiO2 Nanocomposites on Cotton Fabric Surface with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

In this study, Ag-doped g-C3N4-TiO2 nanocomposite photocatalysts were deposited on the surface of cotton fabric by a simple one-step hydrothermal method. The structure features of as-modified cotton fabric were examined by a series of characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The experimental results showed that highly dispersed Ag nanoparticles were doped into g-C3N4-TiO2 nanocomposites which were evenly coated on the fabric surface. The introduction of Ag nanoparticles into g-C3N4-TiO2 composites could significantly improve the photodegradation rate of methyl orange (MO) dye under visible light irradiation. Importantly, the doping site of Ag nanoparticles had a significant influence on the photocatalytic activity of Ag-doped g-C3N4-TiO2 nanocomposites. Compared with the g-C3N4-TiO2 coated cotton fabric, the Ag-doped g-C3N4-TiO2 coated cotton fabric displayed excellent photocatalytic properties for the photodegradation of MO dyes because of the narrowed band gap and the faster separation and transfer of photoinduced charge carriers. The substrate of cotton fabric had little influence on the active radicals produced by the Ag-doped g-C3N4-TiO2 nanocomposites. In addition, the as-modified cotton fabric exhibited good reusability and stability after five recycles for the photodegradation of MO dyes.

Automated summary

In this study, Ag-doped g-C3N4-TiO2 nanocomposite photocatalysts were deposited on cotton fabric surface, significantly improving the photodegradation rate of MO dye under visible light irradiation. The introduction of highly dispersed Ag nanoparticles into g-C3N4-TiO2 composites was found to exhibit excellent photocatalytic properties due to narrowed band gap and faster separation and transfer of charge carriers. The Ag nanoparticle doping site had a significant influence on the photocatalytic activity. Moreover, the modified cotton fabric showed good reusability and stability for MO dye degradation after multiple cycles.