In situ growth of sulfide/g-C3N4nano-heterostructures with an adjusted band gap toward enhanced visible photocatalysis.
In this study, the nano-heterostructures of Zn1-xCdxS (0 < x < 1) nanoparticles and small g-C3N4nanosheets (Zn1-xCdxS/CN) were prepared via in situ growth. Bulk g-C3N4was first delaminated into thin layers by an acid and alkali assisted ultrasound method. Zn1-xCdxS nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of small g-C3N4nanosheets in situ to fabricate Zn1-xCdxS/CN photocatalysts. The absorption band edges of the as-prepared Zn1-xCdxS/CN composites shifted to a longer wavelength region compared to g-C3N4. The Zn1-xCdxS/CN heterojunctions revealed super-enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activities compared to pure g-C3N4and Zn1-xCdxS nanoparticles. To investigate the composition dependence, the mass ratios of Zn1-xCdxS and g-C3N4were adjusted. Zn0.8Cd0.2S nanoparticles (5 wt%) grown in situ on g-C3N4nanosheets as sample 5-Zn0.8Cd0.2S/CN revealed a very high photocatalytic activity compared to other Zn0.8Cd0.2S/CN and CdS/CN samples where the degradation of RhB was up to 99% within 15 min under visible light irradiation. This was ascribed to the well-matched band gap structure, large specific surface area and intimately contacted interfaces. The controllable band gap of the Zn1-xCdxS/CN composites was a key factor for their enhanced photocatalytic performance. In addition, O2-was the leading reactive oxidative species in this photocatalytic process in the 5-Zn0.8Cd0.2S/CN composite system.
School of Material Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, P. R. China. mse_yangp@ujn.edu.cn.
Yumeng
Y
Liu
School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia.
Xiao
X
Zhang
School of Material Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, P. R. China. mse_yangp@ujn.edu.cn.
Junpeng
J
Wang
School of Material Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, P. R. China. mse_yangp@ujn.edu.cn.
Ping
P
Yang