Two-dimensional g-C3N4 nanosheets supporting Co3O4-V2O5 nanocomposite for remarkable photodegradation of mixed organic dyes based on a dual Z-scheme photocatalytic system

Abstract A dual Z-scheme g-C3N4-Co3O4-V2O5 nanocomposite was synthesized through a simple wet impregnation technique. The phase purity and optical behavior of the synthesized samples were characterized by various analytical techniques. The morphology consequences indicated that Co3O4 nanorods and V2O5 nanoparticles were effectively embedded on the exterior of g-C3N4 nanosheets. The emission properties and energy band gap measurement of g-C3N4-Co3O4-V2O5 nanocomposite reveal suppression of e−-h+ recombination and the optical absorption are redshifted to the visible region. The photodegradation capability of the prepared samples was assessed against mixed organic dyes (methylene blue (MB) and methyl yellow (MY)) under visible light illumination. The g-C3N4-Co3O4-V2O5 nanocomposite established that the enhanced photocatalytic properties in the photodegradation of mixed dyes compared to bare and hybrid samples. The as-prepared g-C3N4-Co3O4-V2O5 nanocomposite shows the enhanced degradation efficiency for 93.8 and 93.2% over the MY and MB aqueous dyes under the visible light irradiation. Notably, the g-C3N4-Co3O4-V2O5 photocatalyst was recycled in four consecutive runs with no noticeable loss of catalytic performance. A synergistic dual Z-scheme g-C3N4-Co3O4-V2O5 photocatalyst could be constructed based on the energy band matching within g-C3N4, Co3O4 and V2O5 NPs.