Photocatalytic dye degradation and hydrogen production activity of Ag₃PO₄/g-C₃N₄ nanocatalyst

Recently, photocatalysts have received increasing attention owing to their potential to resolve issues regarding the environment and alternative sources of energy. Here, highly effective visible-light-driven organic–inorganic hybrid heterojunction graphitic carbon nitride–silver phosphate nanocomposite (GCN–Ag₃PO₄ NCs) were synthesized via the hydrothermal method. The synthesized photocatalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopies, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, and subsequently utilized for photocatalytic dye degradation and hydrogen production. The GCN–Ag₃PO₄ NCs exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity for methylene blue degradation under solar simulator visible light, with a hydrogen production activity higher than that of pristine Ag₃PO₄. The hydrogen production rate of GCN–Ag₃PO₄ NCs is 44.5 times higher than that of Ag₃PO₄. Therefore, GCN–Ag₃PO₄ NCs are promising as effective photocatalysts for environmental protection.