The synergistic effect between WO3 and g-C3N4 towards efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance

Abstract

We have developed a facile, scaled up, efficient and morphology-based novel WO₃–g-C₃N₄ photocatalyst with different mass ratios of WO₃ and g-C₃N₄. It was used for the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation and it showed excellent enhanced photocatalytic efficiency as compared to pure g-C₃N₄ and WO₃. The apparent performance of the composite/hybrid was 3.65 times greater than pure WO₃ and 3.72 times greater than pure g-C₃N₄ respectively, and it was also found to be much higher than the previously reported ones. Furthermore, the optical properties of composite samples were evaluated. The bandgap of composite samples lies in the range of 2.3–2.5 eV, which was favourable for photodegradation. The possible mechanism for enhanced catalytic efficiency of the WO₃–g-C₃N₄ photocatalyst is discussed in detail. It was found that the enhanced performance is due to the synergistic effect between the WO₃ and g-C₃N₄ interface, improved optical absorption in the visible region and suitable band positions of WO₃–g-C₃N₄ composites.