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Enhancement of visible-light photocatalytic activities of BiVO4 coupled with g-C3N4 prepared using different precursors

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Abstract

Graphitic-like carbon nitride (g-C3N4) photocatalyst was synthesized by a facile chemical pyrolysis method, which was built on the self-condensation of different precursors to generate g-C3N4, e.g., melamine, urea, and thiocarbamide. And the different precursors produced a great influence on the photocatalytic activities of g-C3N4. Heterojunctions of g-C3N4 and BiVO4 were synthesized using a facile solvent evaporation method. The formation of BiVO4/g-C3N4 composites were confirmed by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, XPS, and UV-Vis DRS. The photocatalytic activities for RhB degradation were evaluated under visible-light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4 prepared by urea was higher than that of g-C3N4 prepared by melamine and thiocarbamide, which was attributed to its favorable dispersibility, larger specific surface area, and higher oxidation capacity. The heterojunction composites exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than pure g-C3N4 or BiVO4. The results showed obvious removal efficiency for RhB, and the optimal sample with a BiVO4 content of 10% exhibited higher efficiency than pure g-C3N4 and BiVO4, and 10 wt%BiVO4/CN-U showed the highest photocatalytic activity. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of BiVO4/g-C3N4 composite can be attributed to the intimate coupling between the two host substrates, resulting in an efficient charge separation.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21577039, 21777047, 21277051), Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province, China (2015A020215004), and Scientific Research Project of Guangzhou City (201804020026).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Pollution Control, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People’s Republic of China

    Peipei Cui, Yun Hu, Mengmeng Zheng & Chaohai Wei

  2. The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510006, People’s Republic of China

    Yun Hu & Chaohai Wei

Authors
  1. Peipei Cui
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  2. Yun Hu
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  3. Mengmeng Zheng
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  4. Chaohai Wei
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Correspondence to Yun Hu.

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Responsible editor: Suresh Pillai

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Cui, P., Hu, Y., Zheng, M. et al. Enhancement of visible-light photocatalytic activities of BiVO4 coupled with g-C3N4 prepared using different precursors. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 32466–32477 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3119-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3119-3

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