A facile microwave stimulated g-C3N4/α-Fe₂O₃ hybrid photocatalyst with superior photocatalytic activity and attractive cycling stability

In this report, we successfully fabricate the ratio-perfect g-C₃N₄/α-Fe₂O₃ hybrid nanocomposites by regulating the mass ratio between two components via a facile one step hydrothermal route. The hybrid catalysts were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence and Brunauer–emmett–teller (BET). The photocatalytic activity of g-C₃N₄/α-Fe₂O₃ for decolorization of congo-red (CR) and malachite green (MG) was evaluated. The results show that g-C₃N₄/α-Fe₂O₃ composites exhibit higher photocatalytic performance than the pure g-C₃N₄ under simulated visible light irradiation. The results demonstrate that g-C₃N₄/α-Fe₂O₃ with 1:2 mass ratios shows the optimal overall photocatalytic performance such as huge degradation efficiency (95%) towards MG dye. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be due to the suited band structure and close contact interfaces between g-C₃N₄ and α-Fe₂O₃, which lead to the efficient transfer and separation of the photogenerated charge carriers. The improved photocatalytic mechanism of the hybrid g-C₃N₄/α-Fe₂O₃ hybrid catalysts was also proposed.