Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants over a CuO/g-C3N4 p–n heterojunction under visible light irradiation

Abstract

As a kind of metal-free organic semiconductor photocatalyst, g-C₃N₄ has been widely explored for use in photocatalysis. However, the low quantum yield, small absorption range, and poor conductivity limit its large-scale application. Introducing another kind of semiconductor, particularly an oxide semiconductor, can result in some unexpected properties, such as an improved change transfer, enhanced light absorption, and better conductivity. In this work, CuO/g-C₃N₄ is successfully prepared through an impregnation and post-calcination method. A series of measurements support the formation of an organic-inorganic hybrid p–n heterojunction at the CuO (p-type) and g-C₃N₄ (n-type) interface. Furthermore, the photoactivity of the composite is evaluated via photocatalytic NO removal and the visible degradation of rhodamine B (RhB). Results show that the photocatalytic properties of CuO/g-C₃N₄ are almost twice as high as those of g-C₃N₄. In comparative tests, the photocatalytic degradation performance of Mix-CuO/g-C₃N₄ (the mixture of CuO and g-C₃N₄ nanosheets prepared by mechanically mixing) is even lower than that of pure g-C₃N₄. The degradation of RhB is only 19.7% under visible light after 30 min of irradiation. The improvement in the photoactivity of CuO/g-C₃N₄ results from the built-in electric field close to the formed p–n heterojunction, which switches the electron transfer mechanism from a double-charge transfer mechanism to a Z-scheme mechanism. In addition, the formed p–n heterojunction favors charge transfer, and thus the photocatalytic performance is significantly improved.