Photocatalytic Degradation of BPA by Z-Type Heterojunction FeTiO3@G-C3N4 Under Visible Light

Abstract

In this study, single-phase g-C₃N₄ and FeTiO₃ catalysts were synthesized by thermal polymerization and hydrothermal methods, and FeTiO₃@g-C₃N₄ binary composites were successfully constructed by hydrothermal method. The crystal structure, morphology, and photoelectric properties of the samples were characterized in all aspects by characterization methods such as XRD, FI-IR, SEM, XPS, BET, UV–vis, and PL, and the effects of different doping ratios, catalyst injection, initial concentration of pollutants, pH, and light source on the degradation performance of bisphenol A (BPA) were investigated. It was shown that spherical chalcogenide FeTiO₃ particles were successfully loaded on the lamellar g-C₃N₄ surface to form a composite catalyst with a specific surface area of 18.403 m²/g and a pore size of 14.636 nm. FeTiO₃@g-C₃N₄ (1:3) achieved 65.59% degradation of 20 mg/L BPA solution under visible light and maintained 58.38% removal after four cycles, in which ·O₂⁻ and ·OH radicals were the main active species, and the degradation process conformed to the quasi-primary kinetic model. In this research, a Z-scheme heterojunction is constructed to improve the electron transport path and effectively slow down the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes, which provides a feasible pathway for the efficient degradation of novel pollutants, such as BPA, and opens up a new direction for photocatalytic pollution treatment.