Combustion synthesis of g-C3N4/Fe2O3 nanocomposite for superior photoelectrochemical catalytic performance

The g-C3N4/Fe2O3 nanocomposite was produced by the solution combustion synthesis (SCS) of iron-nitrate/g-C3N4 mixtures of varying concentration ratios and using urea as a fuel. The following methods did characterization of the products: X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller investigation (BET), ultraviolet-visible light analysis (UV-vis) and photoluminescence measurement (PL). Effect of iron nitrate on stability and photocurrent density under simulated visible-light irradiation was determined. The photocurrent density obtained (4.25 mu A/Cm-2) was twelve times the pure g-C3N4, and higher than those reported for g-C3N4 having Fe2O3. The following mechanisms contributed to the higher photocurrent density achievement: reduction of the bandgap, escalation of the specific area, diminution of the electron-hole recombination, and enhancement of the visible-light harvest-the synthesized nanocomposite decolorized methylene blue three times stronger than pure g-C3N4. The produced g-C3N4/Fe2O3 nanocomposite is, therefore, a potential material for photoelectrochemical cells and pollutant removal applications.