Z-scheme g-C3N4/Bi6Fe1.5Co0.5Ti3O18 heterojunctions with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity towards organics degradation

Construction of heterostructure is an efficient approach to improve the photocatalytic performance of catalysts. Herein, the Bi6Fe1.5Co0.5Ti3O18 (BFCTO) nanoplates are successfully loaded on g-C3N4 nanosheets by a facile chemical process for the first time. The photocatalytic activity of all g-C3N4/BFCTO catalysts are measured by the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible-light irradiation. The results display that g-C3N4/BFCTO heterojunctions exhibit greatly improved photocatalytic activity compared with corresponding bare g-C3N4 and BFCTO catalysts. Based on the experimental results of photocurrent responses, EIS and ESR, it is clearly demonstrated that the improved activity is attributed to the formation of Z-scheme photocatalyst. The g-C3N4/ BFCTO-2 heterojunction showed the optimal photocatalytic activity with the photodegradation efficiency of 84.9% within 20 min. We hope that the work can provide a new insight for exploring Bin+1Fen_ 3Ti3O3n+3-based Z-scheme heterojunction for pollutant degradation and environment restoration.

Automated summary

The study successfully loaded BFCTO nanoplates onto g-C3N4 nanosheets through a simple chemical process to form g-C3N4/BFCTO heterojunctions, significantly enhancing photocatalytic activity. Results indicate that the Z-scheme heterojunctions play a key role in improving photocatalytic performance, with g-C3N4/BFCTO-2 showing the optimal performance.