Heterostructured graphitic carbon nitride/titanium dioxide for enhanced photodegradation of low-concentration formaldehyde under visible light

Shou Heng Liu, Wei Xing Lin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

33 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In this study, a variety of heterostructured TiO 2 decorating graphitic carbon nitride (denoted as GCN/TiO 2 -x) photocatalysts is synthesized by using a simple calcination method. Among the prepared GCN/TiO 2 -x, GCN/TiO 2 -3.0 composites possess the remarkably lower recombination rates of electron-hole pairs (evidenced by photoluminescence) and more visible-light absorption (evidenced by ultraviolet/visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy) as compared to pure GCN and TiO 2 , respectively. Accordingly, the GCN/TiO 2 -3.0 photocatalysts show the enhanced performance toward degradation of low-concentration formaldehyde (HCHO) (rate constant = 0.0043 min −1 ) that is much better than GCN (rate constant = 0.0012 min −1 ) and TiO 2 (rate constant = 0.0007 min −1 ) in the presence of visible light. This improvement observed for the photocatalytic degradation of gas phase HCHO can be probably caused by the heterojunction between GCN (the enhanced absorption of visible light) and TiO 2 (improved separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs). The electron spin resonance (ESR) signals suggest the photogenerated superoxide radical anions (·O 2 -) and hole (h + ) may be responsible for the visible-light-driven photodecomposition of HCHO. This work provides a facile route to prepare efficient photocatalysts for indoor air purification by using interior lighting.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)66-73
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry
Volume378
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019 Jun 1

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Chemistry
  • General Chemical Engineering
  • General Physics and Astronomy

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Heterostructured graphitic carbon nitride/titanium dioxide for enhanced photodegradation of low-concentration formaldehyde under visible light'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this