High proficiency Ag/β-Ag2WO4/V3O4/g-C3N4 heterojunction photocatalyst for the actuation of C(OH)–H bond

Abstract

One of the important procedures to enhance the activity of semiconductors as a catalyst is the fabrication of Ag-based semiconductors with a large bandgap energy. Here, a novel Ag/β-Ag₂WO₄/V₃O₄/g-C₃N₄ heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized by a solvothermal method. The heterojunction structure was characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, DRS, FE-SEM, XRD, PL, and EDS techniques. The photo-ability of V₃O₄, V₃O₄/g-C₃N₄, and Ag/β-Ag₂WO₄/V₃O₄/g-C₃N₄ toward the actuation of C(OH)–H bond was investigated using a visible lamp. The prepared photocatalyst illustrated impressive activity compared to pure V₃O₄ and V₃O₄/g-C₃N₄, which was 67% under aerobic environments due to the considerable separation of the photogenerated charge pairs and enhanced active sites after the incorporation of nanoparticles. Accordingly, this catalyst should be introduced as a qualified photocatalyst, because of its activity, selectivity, and stability.