Abstract:
: In this study, heterostructured g-C3N4/Ag–TiO2 nanocomposites were successfully fab ricated using an easily accessible hydrothermal route. Various analytical tools were employed to
investigate the surface morphology, crystal structure, specific surface area, and optical properties of
as-synthesized samples. XRD and TEM characterization results provided evidence of the successful
fabrication of the ternary g-C3N4/Ag–TiO2 heterostructured nanocomposite. The heterostructured g C3N4/Ag–TiO2 nanocomposite exhibited the best degradation efficiency of 98.04% against rhodamine
B (RhB) within 180 min under visible LED light irradiation. The g-C3N4/Ag–TiO2 nanocomposite
exhibited an apparent reaction rate constant 13.16, 4.7, and 1.33 times higher than that of TiO2
,
Ag–TiO2
, and g-C3N4
, respectively. The g-C3N4/Ag–TiO2
ternary composite demonstrated higher
photocatalytic activity than pristine TiO2 and binary Ag–TiO2 photocatalysts for the degradation
of RhB under visible LED light irradiation. The improved photocatalytic performance of the g C3N4/Ag–TiO2 nanocomposite can be attributed to the formation of an excellent heterostructure
between TiO2 and g-C3N4 as well as the incorporation of Ag nanoparticles, which promoted efficient
charge carrier separation and transfer and suppressed the rate of recombination. Therefore, this
study presents the development of heterostructured g-C3N4/Ag–TiO2 nanocomposites that exhibit
excellent photocatalytic performance for the efficient degradation of harmful organic pollutants in
wastewater, making them promising candidates for environmental remediation.
