Photocatalytic Performance and Degradation Pathway of Rhodamine B with TS-1/C3N4 Composite under Visible Light

• Published in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 10; no. 4; p. 756
• Main Authors: Yang, Jingjing, Zhu, Hongqing, Peng, Yuan, Li, Pengxi, Chen, Shuyan, Yang, Bing, Zhang, Jinzhong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 15.04.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: C3N4; Carbon nitride; Composite materials; Crystallization; degradation pathways; Degradation products; Electrodes; Electron microscopy; Environmental impact; Fourier analysis; Fourier transforms; Heterostructures; Infrared analysis; Infrared spectroscopy; Irradiation; Light; Light irradiation; Liquid chromatography; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Microscopy; Oxidation; Performance degradation; Phenols; Photocatalysis; photocatalytic performance; Photodegradation; Photoelectric effect; Photoelectric emission; Photoluminescence; Photons; Pollutants; Rhodamine; Rhodamine B; Scanning electron microscopy; Transmission electron microscopy; TS-1 zeolite; Ultraviolet radiation; X-ray diffraction; Zeolites; Beijing China; United States > US; China; Japan
• ISSN: 2079-4991; 2079-4991
• DOI: 10.3390/nano10040756

TS-1/C3N4 composites were prepared by calcining the precursors with cooling crystallization method and were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), UV-Vis diffuse reflection spectrum (DRS) and nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherm. The photocatalytic performance of TS-1/C3N4 composites was investigated to degrade Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. The results showed that all composites exhibited better photocatalytic performance than pristine TS-1 and C3N4; TS-1/C3N4-B composite (the measured mass ratio of TS-1 to C3N4 is 1:4) had best performance, with a rate constant of 0.04166 min−1, which is about two and ten times higher than those of C3N4 and TS-1, respectively. We attributed the enhanced photocatalytic performance of TC-B to the optimized heterostructure formed by TS-1 and C3N4 with proper proportion. From the results of photoluminescence spectra (PL) and the enhanced photocurrent, it is concluded that photogenerated electrons and holes were separated more effectively in TS-1/C3N4 composites. The contribution of the three main active species for photocatalytic degradation followed a decreasing order of ·O2−, ·OH and h+. The degradation products of RhB were identified by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and the possible photocatalytic degradation pathways were proposed.