In situ growth strategy for highly efficient Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 hetero/nanojunctions with enhanced photocatalytic activity under sunlight irradiation

• Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 hetero/nanojunctions were synthesized via a facile in situ strategy.
• Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 exhibits stronger light absorption in the visible light region.
• Hetero/nanojunctions showed high photocatalytic activity than Ag2CO3 and g-C3N4.
• Formation of hetero/nanojunction promotes the separation of charge carriers.
• The Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 hetero/nanojunctions exhibited high photostability.

Developing novel heterojunction photocatalysts is a powerful strategy for improving the separation efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers, which is attracting the intense research interest in photocatalysis. Herein we report a highly efficient hetero/nanojunction consisting of Ag2CO3 nanoparticles grown on layered g-C3N4 nanosheets synthesized via a facile and template free in situ precipitation method. The UV–vis diffuse reflectance studies revealed that the synthesized Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 hetero/nanojunctions exhibit a broader and stronger light absorption in the visible light region, which is highly beneficial for absorbing the visible light in the solar spectrum. The optimum photocatalytic activity of Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 at a weight content of 10% Ag2CO3 for the degradation of Rhodamine B was almost 5.5 and 4 times as high as that of the pure Ag2CO3 and g-C3N4, respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 hetero/nanojunctions is due to synergistic effects including the strong visible light absorption, large specific surface area, and high charge transfer and separation efficiency. More importantly, the high photostability and low use of the noble metal silver which reduces the cost of the material. Therefore, the synthesized Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 hetero/nanojunction photocatalyst is a promising candidate for energy storage and environment protection applications.

Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slideWe have successfully synthesized a highly efficient and stable Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 hetero/nanojunction photocatalysts via a facile and template-free in situ growth strategy for enhanced photocatalytic properties towards the degradation of Rhodamine B and 4-chlorophenol under sunlight irradiation.