Facile preparation and characterization of Zn2Ti3O8/g-C3N4 nanocomposites for degradation of rhodamine B under simulated sunlight

Abstract

Zinc titanate (Zn₂Ti₃O₈, ZTO) was initially synthesized using a straightforward and inexpensive Pechini approach, and subsequently Zn₂Ti₃O₈/g-C₃N₄ (ZTO/CN) nanocomposites with varied contents were created using an ultrasonic-assisted co-precipitation process. Based on the appropriate bandgaps (2.0 eV and 2.7 eV), the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) was studied. This is the first time that ZTO/CN nanocomposites are studied for the degradation of organic pollutants. The results showed that the best performance belonged to the sample with a mass ratio of 0.25 to 1 among different ZTO/CN nanocomposites. Therefore, 50 mg of ZTO/CN (0.25:1) degraded 89.0 % of 10 ppm RhB. Scavenger testing revealed that superoxide radicals and holes played significant parts in photodegradation processes.