Synthesis and application of Ag3PO4 photocatalyst modified by g-C3N4 for tetracycline hydrochloride degradation

Finding highly efficient photocatalysts has practical significance for antibiotics degradation. In this work, g-C₃N₄ modified Ag₃PO₄ had been prepared via in-situ deposition method. Their photocatalytic activities were investigated through tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) degradation under visible light. In summary, sample 6 wt% g-C₃N₄/Ag₃PO₄ (6 wt% CN/APO) exhibited a good degradation efficiency (72.1 %) to TCH within 30 min, while pure Ag₃PO₄ and g-C₃N₄ was only 57.4 % and 5.8 %, respectively. Because of the construction of heterojunction structure, 6 wt% CN/APO composite had low fluorescence intensity, high photocurrent density and low resistance, which were helpful for the rapid separation of photogenerated carriers. Therefore, the photocatalytic property of Ag₃PO₄ was obviously enhanced. In addition, sample 6 wt% CN/APO also showed excellent photocatalytic stability, and h⁺ played a main role in TCH degradation. Its possible photocatalytic mechanism was also elucidated.