Fabrication of C/X-TiO2@C3N4 NTs (X = N, F, Cl) composites by using phenolic organic pollutants as raw materials and their visible-light photocatalytic performance in different photocatalytic systems

• C/X-TiO2@C3N4 NTs were successfully prepared by a simple sol-gel-pyrolysis process.
• Their morphology, structure, and optoelectronic property were well characterized.
• C/X-TiO2@C3N4 NTs exhibited excellent activity in conventional photocatalytic system.
• The efficient activity is owing to tubular structure and doped nonmetallic elements.

A series of nonmetallic elements co-doped titanium dioxide coated carbon nitride nanotubes (C/X-TiO2@C3N4 NTs, X = N, F, Cl) was successfully prepared by a simple sol-gel-pyrolysis process using phenolic organic pollutants, titanium butoxide, and carbon nitride nanotubes as precursors. The morphology, porosity, phase and chemical structure, and optical and electronic property of as-prepared C/X-TiO2@C3N4 NTs were well characterized. The as-prepared C/X-TiO2@C3N4 NTs exhibited excellent visible-light photocatalytic activity in the conventional degradation and hydrogen evolution systems compared with traditional TiO2/g-C3N4 heterojunction, which is attributed to their unique tubular nanostructure and nonmetallic elements co-doped TiO2 component. Subsequently, the visible-light photocatalytic activity of C/X-TiO2@C3N4 NTs was further studied in the simultaneous hydrogen evolution with organic pollutant degradation system on the basis of our previous work. The reaction mechanisms in different photocatalytic systems were further discussed in detail.

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