Construction of MoO3 nanopaticles /g-C3N4 nanosheets 0D/2D heterojuntion photocatalysts for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of antibiotic pollutant

Abstract A new type of 0D-2D Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst (MoO3/g-C3N4) was successfully prepared via simple hydrothermal calcination method. The catalytic activities of MoO3/g-C3N4 was evaluated by the degradation effect of tetracycline. The results indicated that the 0D-2D MoO3/g-C3N4 Z-scheme heterojunction was significantly better than that of original g-C3N4. Especially, the optimal 0.5 wt% MoO3/g-C3N4 could reach 85.9% removal efficiency within 100 min under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm), and its degradation rate constant was 2.3 times higher than that of g-C3N4·In addition, the effects of real water matrix, natural sunlight irradiation on tetracycline removal were examined. Reactive-species-trapping experiments show that both photo-generated •O2− and h+ are the main active species in the photocatalytic process. Besides, the results of •O2− and •OH detection further indicated that the yield amount of •O2− and •OH in MoO3/g-C3N4 case showed enhancement when compared with g-C3N4. Moreover, the quite stable crystal structure and excellent recycling ability endowed the MoO3/g-C3N4 composite with a great potential for applying in photocatalytic fields.