Ultrasound-assisted construction of a Z-scheme heterojunction with g-C3N4 nanosheets and flower-like Bi2WO6 microspheres and the photocatalytic activity in the coupling reaction between alcohols and amines under visible light irradiation

Abstract Flower-like Bi2WO6 microspheres and bulk g-C3N4 were prepared by the hydrothermal method and high-temperature calcining method, respectively. A new method based on the combination of ultrasonic stripping and mechanical stirring was used to obtain uniform composite x-Bi2WO6/g-C3N4 (x is the Bi2WO6 mass ratio) photocatalysts with a Z-scheme heterojunction. In the reaction of benzyl alcohol and aniline to form imine, the optimal composite, 30%-Bi2WO6/g-C3N4, showed a conversion rate of 87.6%, which is much higher than that of pure Bi2WO6 and g-C3N4. Characterization by SEM and TEM showed that the ultrasonically stripped g-C3N4 significantly reduced the radial dimension compared to bulk g-C3N4. A uniformly dispersed photocatalytic material was formed, and it maintained a flower-like microsphere structure. Materials characterized by N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms (BET) showed that the specific surface area of the g-C3N4 nanosheets increased by approximately ten times after ultrasonic stripping. The photostability of the composite was verified by cyclic experiments. Under visible light irradiation, the activation energy of the coupling reaction between benzyl alcohol and aniline was found to be decreased by 29.8 kJ mol−1. A capture experiment was used to verify the active species in the photocatalytic system, with the reaction found to be mainly completed through the synergistic action of h+, e− and •O2−.