Constructing mesoporous g-C3N4/ZnO nanosheets catalyst for enhanced visible-light driven photocatalytic activity

Novel mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was synthesized via one-step thermal condensation of ethyl cellulose (EC) and urea mixture. Morphology, crystal structure and charge carrier lifetime of the composites were controlled by tuning the amount of EC. The optimized 5 wt% EC/g-C3N4 (OEC/g-C3N4), which showed the highest surface area and longest carrier lifetime, were facilely incorporated into the ZnO nanosheet by the hydrothermal method as catalyst for methylene blue degradation under visible-light irradiation. The optimized photocatalytic activity of OEC/g-C3N4/ZnO nanosheets at a weight ratio of 3% under visible-light irradiation is almost 8.5 times higher than that of ZnO nanosheets. This enhancement in performance is mainly attributed to OEC/g-C3N4 incorporation, which broadens the light absorption and facilitates the separation and transfer of photogenerated electron hole pairs at the interface. In addition, this method is expected to be extended to other EC/g-C3N4 loaded materials.