Facile preparation of a 3D rGO/g-C3N4 nanocomposite loaded with Ag NPs for photocatalytic degradation

Abstract

Graphene-based and g-C₃N₄-based nanocomposites can effectively remove organic pollutants from water. However, the reasonable design and scale preparation of hybrid nanomaterials of reduced graphene oxide (rGO), g-C₃N₄ and silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with improved performance for practical application need to be further explored. Herein, a 3D rGO/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite loaded with Ag NPs was successfully fabricated through a facile three-step synthetic route. The microstructure and morphology of GO, g-C₃N₄, rGO/g-C₃N₄ and rGO/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite loaded with Ag NPs were characterized and analyzed. The experimental results show that the as-prepared nanocomposite loaded with Ag NPs has excellent activity to remove methylene blue (MB) from water under visible light irradiation, and its maximum removal capacity is high as 49.60 mg g⁻¹ within 60 min. Based on its possible catalytic process and kinetic analysis, the adsorption and catalytic performance of this nanocomposite may be attributed to a synergistic effect of rGO, g-C₃N₄ and Ag NPs. In addition, it can provide a useful reference for the rational design and scale preparation of rGO/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite for practical applications.