Atomic scale g-C^sub 3^N^sub 4^/Bi^sub 2^WO^sub 6^ 2D/2D heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic degradation of ibuprofen under visible light irradiation

• Published in: Applied catalysis. B, Environmental Environmental, 2017-07, Vol.209, p.285
• Main Authors: Wang, Jiajia, Tang, Lin, Zeng, Guangming, Deng, Yaocheng, Liu, Yani, Wang, Longlu, Zhou, Yaoyu, Guo, Zhi, Wang, Jingjing, Zhang, Chen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Degradation; Heterojunctions; Ibuprofen; Irradiation; Light irradiation; Nanostructure; Photocatalysis; Photodegradation; Pollution; Separation; Spectrometry; Steering; Synergistic effect; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy
• ISSN: 0926-3373; 1873-3883

Although photocatalytic degradation is an ideal strategy for cleaning environmental pollution, it remains challenging to construct a highly efficient photocatalytic system by steering the charge flow in a precise manner. In this study, a novel atomic scale g-C3N4/Bi2WO6 heterojunction (UTCB) constructed by ultrathin g-C3N4 nanosheets (ug-CN) and monolayer Bi2WO6 nanosheets (m-BWO) was successfully prepared by hydrothermal reaction. The UTCB heterojunctions were characterized by various techniques including XRD, TEM, AFM, BET measurements, UV-vis spectrometry, and XPS. The results indicated that UTCB heterojunctions were assembly of m-BWO on ug-CN and presented high separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers. Under visible light irradiation, the optimum molar ratio of ug-CN/m-BWO (1:4, UTCB-25) reached almost 96.1% removal efficiency of IBF within 1 h, which was about 2.7 times as that of pure m-BWO. The photocatalytic mechanisms of UTCB-25 were revealed, suggesting that the synergistic effect of UTCB-25 heterojunction with strong interfacial interaction promoted the photoinduced charge separation. According to the LC-MS/MS, five photodegradation pathways of IBF under visible light irradiation were proposed. This study could open new opportunities for the rational design and a better understanding of atomic scale two dimensions/two dimensions (2D/2D) heterojunctions in environmental or other applications.