Synergistic Photocatalysis via G‐C 3 N 4 /ZIF‐8 S‐Scheme Heterojunction: A Strategy for Superior Pollutant Degradation
Muhammad Altaf Nazir, Mutaz Salih, Ome Parkash Kumar, Sami Ullah, Iqra Razzaq, Sumayya Mumtaz, Muhammad Jamil, Syed Shoaib Ahmad Shah, Ehab A. Abdelrahman, Abdulrahman G. AlhamzaniABSTRACT
The g‐C 3 N/ZIF‐8 nanocomposite was synthesized by combining highly porous ZIF‐8 with g‐C 3 N 4 . The characterization results revealed a rhombic dodecahedral morphology for g‐C 3 N 4 /ZIF‐8, with well‐defined surface area and porosity. A pertinent bandgap energy (2.51 eV) for the photocatalytic process was assessed for the optimal g‐C 3 N 4 /ZIF‐8. Catalytic performance of g‐C 3 N 4 /ZIF‐8 composite was assessed by photodegradation of Crystal violet (CV) dye. The results showed 88% photodegradation efficiency for a 20‐ppm aqueous CV dye solution in 90 min at a pH of 10. The degradation process follows pseudo‐first‐order kinetics with a degradation rate of 0.00674 min −1 . Reusability was employed to assess the potential of g‐C 3 N 4 /ZIF‐8 for multiple applications in CV degradation over four consecutive cycles, with the dye degradation efficiency declining to 74%. The trapping test was conducted to effectively trace reactive species involved in the photodegradation of the CV dye. Both superoxide (O 2 •− ) and hydroxyl radicals ( • OH) play crucial roles in photodegradation of CV dye. These findings therefore encourage the use of g‐C 3 N 4 /ZIF‐8 as a sustainable method for synthesizing and tailoring the optical properties of semiconducting materials for water remediation.