Fabrication of 3D/2D Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 heterostructure with enhanced photocatalytic behavior in the degradation of harmful organics

Recently, construction of composite photocatalyst using different dimensional materials has made researchers to focus on the area of photocatalysis. In this work, 3D/2D Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 composite was successfully synthesized via solvothermal method. The photocatalytic capabilities of all the synthesized catalyst were tested in the degradation of dyes. The percentage mineralization was determined using total organic carbon (TOC) studies. The synthesized 3D/2D Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 showed superior photocatalytic performance compared to individual catalyst. The photostability and reusability of Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 composite was analyzed by recyclability test, and the catalyst was found to be stable even after four consecutive runs. The superior photocatalytic activity of Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 heterostructure could be attributed to enhanced physicochemical properties such as band gap, surface area, reduced recombination rates, etc. Trapping experiment carried out to identify the influence of radicals, which showed that both super oxide and hydroxyl radicals were found to be predominant in photocatalytic reaction. A possible pathway of exciton transmission was illustrated.