Issue 18, 2023, Issue in Progress

Engineering S-scheme Ag2CO3/g-c3N4 heterojunctions sonochemically to eradicate Rhodamine B dye under solar irradiation

Abstract

The use of natural solar radiation is a low-cost significant technology for water pollution remediation and production of clean energy. In this work, S-scheme Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 heterojunctions were engineered for carefully eradicating Rhodamine B dye under natural sunlight irradiation. Solid thermal decomposition reactions generate g-C3N4 sheets by annealing urea at 520 °C. Ag2CO3 nanoparticles are directed and localized sonochemically to the active centers of g-C3N4 sheets. The physicochemical properties of the solid specimen were determined by PL, DRS, XRD, HRTEM, mapping, EDX, N2-adsorption–desorption isotherm and XPS analyses. As elucidated by HRTEM, PL and DRS analyses, 5 wt% of spherical Ag2CO3 nanoparticles deposited on the g-C3N4 sheet surface and nearly equidistant from each other elevate the electron–hole separation efficiency and broaden the absorption capacity of photocatalysts. Rhodamine B dye was degraded at a rate of 0.0141 min−1 by heterojunctions containing 5 wt% Ag2CO3 and 95 wt% g-C3N4, which is three-fold higher than that on pristine g-C3N4 nanosheets. Free radical scrubber experiments revealed the contribution of charge carriers and reactive oxygen species to the decomposition of RhB dye with a preferential role of positive holes and superoxide species. PL measurements of terephthalic acid and scrubber trapping experiments provide confirmatory evidence for charge diffusion via the S-scheme mechanism that accounts for the production of electron–hole pairs with strong redox power. This novel research work is contributory to manipulate the S-scheme heterojunction for efficient and low-cost wastewater treatment under natural solar irradiation.

Graphical abstract: Engineering S-scheme Ag2CO3/g-c3N4 heterojunctions sonochemically to eradicate Rhodamine B dye under solar irradiation

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
10 Jan 2023
Accepted
11 Mar 2023
First published
19 Apr 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

RSC Adv., 2023,13, 12229-12243

Engineering S-scheme Ag2CO3/g-c3N4 heterojunctions sonochemically to eradicate Rhodamine B dye under solar irradiation

A. Alsulmi, M. H. Shaker, A. M. Basely, M. F. Abdel-Messih, A. Sultan and M. A. Ahmed, RSC Adv., 2023, 13, 12229 DOI: 10.1039/D3RA00173C

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