Facile synthesis of WO3 nanorods/g-C3N4 composites with enhanced photocatalytic activity

In this paper, WO3 nanorods (NRs)/g-C3N4 composite photocatalysts were constructed by assembling WO3 NRs with sheet-like g-C3N4. The as-synthesized photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence. The photocatalytic activity of the photocatalysts was evaluated by degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under simulated sunlight irradiation. Compared to pristine WO3 NRs and g-C3N4, WO3 NRs/g-C3N4 composites exhibit greatly enhanced photocatalytic activities. The enhanced performance of WO3 NRs/g-C3N4 composite photocatalysts was mainly ascribed to the synergistic effect between WO3 NRs and g-C3N4, which improved the photogenerated carrier separation. A possible degradation mechanism of RhB over the WO3 NRs/g-C3N4 composite photocatalysts was proposed.