Abstract
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•P and S co-doped g-C3N4 was modified with Ag3PO4.•A direct Z scheme approach was followed during photocatalysis.•The recombination of electron and hole pair was minimized.•The 2, 4-dimethylphenol was removed from simulated wastewater.•The photocatalyst exhibited significant recycle efficiency.
Very recently, hybrid photocatalysts are gaining importance due to their unique and enhanced photocatalytic activity. In precedent study, we have successfully prepared Ag3PO4 (AP) and P and S co-doped g-C3N4 (PSGCN) based AP/PSGCN photocatalyst via facile deposition-precipitation method. The P and S co-doped g-C3N4 was prepared via thermal poly-condensation using hexachlorotriphosphazene (HCCP) and thiourea as precursors. The photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), X- ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis DRS). The thickness of AP/PSGCN was less than 9.0 nm. The zeta potential and Tyndall effect experiments validated the formation of well dispersed suspension of AP/PSGCN in water. The co-doping resulted in lowering of optical band gap of g-C3N4. The Tyndall effect experiments ascertained the formation of well dispersed suspension of AP/PSGCN. The photoluminescence and electrochemical impedance analysis confirmed reduction in recombination of photogenerated electron and hole pairs. The photodegradation of 2,4-dimethyl phenol (DMP) followed pseudo first order kinetics. The enhanced photocatalysis was due to direct Z-scheme mechanism. Hydroxyl and superoxide radicals were the two main reactive species during DMP degradation. The COD, HPLC and LCMS investigations ascertained mineralization of DMP. AP/PSGCN displayed high stability and recycle efficiency significant for ten catalytic cycles.