Improved Photocatalytic Activity of g‐C <sub>3</sub> N <sub>4</sub> /ZnO: A Potential Direct Z‐Scheme Nanocomposite
R Madhushree, Kalathiparambil Rajendra Pai Sunajadevi, Jadan Resnik Jaleel UC, Dephan Pinheiro
Abstract
Abstract In this study, a Z‐scheme g‐C 3 N 4 /ZnO nanocomposite was synthesized using exfoliation process, which was further characterized using XRD, FT‐IR, UV‐DRS, SEM‐EDAX, PL, EIS, and TGA techniques. The properties of g‐C 3 N 4 were enhanced when fabricated with ZnO resulting in a better electron mobility, high redox potential, and excellent semiconducting properties. The performance of this heterostructure was evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of malachite green (MG) under visible light irradiation. The g‐C 3 N 4 /ZnO heterostructure achieved a degradation of 84.3 % within 60 min under visible light irradiation. The degradation reaction follows a pseudo first‐order kinetic model with a reaction rate constant of 0.0329 min −1 . The nanocomposite demonstrated outstanding stability and recyclability.