Facile construction of (BiO)₂CO₃/g-C₃N₄ Z-scheme nanocomposite for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B

Pollutant photodegradation is considered to be among the most effective and environmentally friendly technologies to keep the environment safe. Photocatalytic performance can be improved using the fabrication of heterojunctions, which is proven to be the most efficient method. Herein, a (BiO)₂CO₃/g-C₃N₄ Z-type heterojunction is successfully via a straightforward ultrasonic chemical technique. Under UV irradiation, the 10 % (BiO)₂CO₃/g-C₃N₄ heterojunction exhibits superior photocatalytic activity toward rhodamine B (Rh-B) degradation, which is 8.6 times more effective in degrading Rh-B than pure g-C₃N₄. The studies demonstrate that the heterojunction fabrication might raise the photodegradation rate by increasing the absorption rate of the visible light and the separation efficiency of the photogenerated carriers. Moreover, a radical trapping experiment specifies that the two dominant reactive species involved in the Rh-B degradation are superoxide radicals and photoinduced holes.