Enhanced light absorption and charge carrier’s separation in g-C3N4-based double Z-scheme heterostructure photocatalyst for efficient degradation of navy-blue dye

Abstract

Effective wastewater treatment is essential due to the dye environmental threats. Photocatalysis offers an eco-friendly dye degradation solution. Herein, we report a double Z-scheme photocatalyst, i.e. LaFeO3/Boron-doped g-C3N4/Fe2O3 (LFO/B-CN/FO), fabricated via a hydrothermal method. The formation of this ternary system is supported by structural, surface, and morphological analyses. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis demonstrated the crystallization behavior of the composite. Because of synergetic effects in the ternary composite and boron doping, the optical band gap energy is reduced to 1.6 eV. Under visible light irradiation, the LFO/B-CN/FO nanocomposite degraded navy-blue dye by 98% in 130 min at neutral pH, surpassing CN, B-CN, and binary composites of B-CN with LFO and FO. The degradation process was rationalized using pseudo-first- and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, which confirmed high catalytic efficiency. The double Z-scheme heterojunction enhanced light absorption, charge separation, and carrier lifetime, hence improving the photocatalytic activity. Overall, the as-fabricated LFO/B-CN/FO ternary composite outperformed reference catalysts in terms of chemical reactivity, optical characteristics, and electrical performance. This work opens up a new route for the design and fabrication of double Z-scheme ternary composite photocatalysts for potential wastewater treatment and renewable energy applications.

Keywords

• Doping
• double Z-scheme
• photocatalysis
• pseudo-kinetics
• wastewater treatment