Degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride by semi-embedded CdS/tubular g-C3N4 heterojunction photocatalysts loaded with Ni nanoparticles

Abstract

The widespread use of antibiotics leads to the pollution of the water environment. Photocatalytic technology is considered as an effective way of removing antibiotics from the water environment. In this paper, a semi-embedded CdS/tubular g-C₃N₄ (CdS/TCN) heterojunction photocatalyst was designed and prepared by hydrothermal, in situ oil bath and thermal polymerization methods. Then Ni nanoparticles were loaded onto the surface of CdS/TCN by an in situ photoreduction method to form high performance photocatalyst Ni–CdS/TCN. The degradation rate of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) by Ni–CdS/TCN-6 was about 1.9 times higher than that of bulk carbon nitride (BCN) under visible light irradiation for 30 min. The high specific surface area, the effective heterojunction and loaded Ni broaden the light absorption range, narrow the band gap and improve the photogenerated carrier separation efficiency and migration rate. Beyond that, loaded Ni also inhibits photocorrosion and improves the stability of the photocatalyst. The present work provides a new way for designing a semi-embedded heterojunction photocatalyst.