Growth of g‐C₃N₄ Layer on Commercial TiO₂ for Enhanced Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity

Abstract

Novel visible light photocatalytic graphitic carbon nitride/TiO 2 (g‐C 3 N 4 /TiO 2 ) composite samples were synthesized by heating mixtures of melamine and commercial TiO 2 (TO) at different weight ratios. The samples were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV‐visible diffused reflectance spectroscopy (UV‐vis DRS). Characterization confirms formation of nanocomposites of g‐C 3 N 4 /TiO 2 . At the optimized precursor weight ratio (), the samples exhibited highest adsorption capacity and visible light photocatalytic activity, measured by degradation of methylene blue (MB). Under visible light irradiation, the excited electrons on the surface of g‐C 3 N 4 transfer easily to the conduction band (CB) of TiO 2 via the well‐built heterojunction. The g‐C 3 N 4 /TiO 2 nanocomposites exhibit enhanced visible light catalytic activity due to increased visible light adsorption and effective separation of photogenerated electron‐hole pairs. These g‐C 3 N 4 /TiO 2 nanocomposites could find broad applicability in environmental protection due to their excellent visible light photocatalytic property and facile, cost‐effective preparation process.