Construction of AgBr/β-Ag2WO4/g-C3N4 ternary composites with dual Z-scheme band alignment for efficient organic pollutants removal

The speedy recombination of photoexcited charge carriers is one of the major reasons for the unsatisfactory of semiconductor photocatalysts. Herein, AgBr/beta-Ag2WO4/g-C3N4 ternary composites with dual Z-scheme band alignment were constructed for colored Rhodamine B and colorless tetracycline hydrochloride degradation. The crystal structure, micro-nano structure, chemical composition, optical and electrochemical properties of the obtained photocatalysts were thoroughly investigated. The optimized AgBr/beta-Ag2WO4/g-C3N4 displayed exceptional photocatalytic activities toward Rhodamine B and tetracycline hydrochloride degradation. The dramatically improved catalytic performance could be ascribed to the dual Z-scheme transfer channel of the charge carriers. It is anticipated that this work could offer a novel sight into constructing effective photocatalyst for environmental remediation.

Automated summary

In this study, AgBr/beta-Ag2WO4/g-C3N4 ternary composites with dual Z-scheme band alignment were successfully constructed for efficient degradation of colored Rhodamine B and colorless tetracycline hydrochloride. The optimized composite displayed exceptional photocatalytic activities due to the dual Z-scheme charge carrier transfer channel, offering a new perspective for effective photocatalysts in environmental remediation.