Tungsten oxide embellished graphitic carbon nitride for dye industrial wastewater remediation using visible light

Abstract

A process showing potential for slowing down the quick recombination of photogenerated electron-holes and enhancing the dispersion of charges produced by photocatalytic reaction during photodegradation processes is coupling of semiconductor photocatalysts. In the current study, tungsten oxide embellished graphitic carbon nitride (WCN) nanocomposites have been prepared. Three different photocatalytic composites of tungsten oxide and gCN in the mass ratios of 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1, denoted WCN1, WCN2, and WCN3, were created for the methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) photodegradation. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were adapted to characterize the morphological, structural and optical features of the treated photocatalyst. Graphitic carbon nitride (gCN), a metal-free photocatalyst, has drawn considerable interest because of its possible use in photocatalytic environmental pollution treatment. The findings show that, rather than changing the sample crystalline structure, this extensively disperses gCN to increase its surface area. The combined photocatalytic degradation rate of MB after 150 min in visible light (500–800 nm) was 52.46% for gCN, 86.4% for WCN1, 98.8% for WCN2, and 91.2% for WCN3. For methyl orange, the generated materials' photocatalytic activity was examined. The analysis outcome reveals astonishing deterioration values for WCN1 (72.9%), WCN2 (89.7%), and WCN3 (83.6%), respectively. For five cycles, the hybrid photocatalyst yielded consistent photodegradation results and check their Total organic carbon reduction in the wastewater after treatment. It has been observed that W₂O₆/gCN is promising photocatalyst for dye industrial wastewater remediation using visible light.

Graphical Abstract