WO3 nanorod photocatalysts decorated with few-layer g-C3N4 nanosheets: controllable synthesis and photocatalytic mechanism research

Novel WO3 nanorod (WO3 NRs) photocatalysts decorated with few-layer g-C3N4 nanosheets (flg-C3N4) have been synthesized by a typical hydrothermal process. The structure, morphology, optical and electronic properties were researched by comprehensive characterization methods. The photocatalytic performance of flg-C3N4/WO3 NRs nanocomposites was assessed by degrading Rhodamine B (RhB) dye under visible light irradiation. When the loading amount of the flg-C3N4 is 20 wt%, the flg-C3N4/WO3 NRs nanocomposites exhibit the highest activity and the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) values decreased by about 64%. The improved light harvesting ability and higher separation efficiency of photoinduced electron-hole pairs by the decoration of flg-C3N4 lead to the boosting photocatalytic performance. In addition, through ESR analysis and a trapping experiment, the photocatalytic mechanism was also researched.