Heterojunction C3N4/MoO3 microcomposite for highly efficient photocatalytic oxidation of Rhodamine B

• Published in: Applied surface science 2020-05, Vol.511, p.145595, Article 145595
• Main Authors: Adhikari, Sangeeta, Kim, Do-Heyoung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Heterojunction; MoO3/C3N4; Rhodamine B; Visible-light; Z-scheme
• ISSN: 0169-4332; 1873-5584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2020.145595

[Display omitted] •C3N4/MoO3 composite was successfully developed via wet chemical technique.•20 wt% MoO3 in C3N4/MoO3 composite expedite the best photocatalytic efficiency.•Charge separation is via z-scheme formation enhancing the catalytic activity.•Photogenerated holes and superoxide radicals are the main reactive oxide species.•CNMO-20 exhibits stable catalytic performance for four experimental cycles. The photocatalysis has been well recognized in the photodegradation of toxic contaminants in water. The heterojunction of various semiconductors is widely used to improve photocatalytic properties compared to the single-component system. In this work, we prepared a heterojunction based photocatalyst using a wet-chemical technique consisting of pyrolysed porous C3N4 and hydrothermally synthesized MoO3 nanobelt like structure for enhanced photocatalytic oxidation of rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. The developed microcomposite was well characterized for its structural and morphological analysis to understand the crystal structure and surface properties. The increase in catalytic activity with C3N4/MoO3 microcomposite is attributed to the efficient photogeneration of electron-hole pairs, and charge transfer due to favorable band positions of C3N4/MoO3, which is not possible with individual materials. Radical trapping experiments were conducted with the microcomposite to confirm the major participating species in the photochemical reaction and the cyclic experiments were also carried out for stability of the designed composite for the photochemical process. This work also emphasizes the development of heterojunction microcomposite for environmental remediation.