Fabrication of Ag/Ag2O incorporated graphitic carbon nitride based ZnO nanocomposite for enhanced Z-scheme photocatalytic performance of various organic pollutants and bacterial disinfection

In this work, the development of a novel Ag/Ag2O combined g-C3N4/ZnO (g-C3N4/ZnO-Ag2O) ternary photocatalyst was successfully prepared by facile calcination and hydrothermal precipitation method. The crystalline phase structure, surface morphology, chemical compositions, and optical properties of the as-obtained g-C3N4/ZnO-Ag2O photocatalysts (PCs) samples were also characterized by XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM with mapping, HR-TEM, XPS, UV-Vis DRS and PL spectra exclusively. The photocatalytic enhanced performance of as-obtained g-C3N4/ZnO-Ag2O heterostructured PCs was exploited to aqueous methylene blue (MB) dye and 4-chlorophenol than that of pristine g-C3N4 PCs within 120 mins under visible-light irradiation. The g-C3N4/ZnO-Ag2O composite exhibits a high photo-degradation rate constant and good recycling stability towards the MB dye photo-decomposition. The photocatalytic upgrading performance might be recognized to the synergistic effect at SPR interface of Ag/Ag2O NPs, which superior visible light fascination and separation/transfer of photo-excited charges over the g-C3N4/ZnO heterojunction interface. Besides, the possible Z-Scheme photo-degradation pathway and charge separation mechanism were discussed. Hence, the existing work could probably deliver a novel way to develop highly capable composite PCs for environmental wastewater remediation.

Automated summary

A novel Ag/Ag2O combined g-C3N4/ZnO ternary photocatalyst was successfully developed using a simple method, showing excellent photocatalytic performance for efficient degradation of water-soluble dyes and organic compounds. The synergistic effect at the SPR interface of the composite material led to superior light absorption and charge separation, providing a new solution for environmental wastewater treatment.