Abstract
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•Herein, CN wrapped Fe-doped ZnO hierarchical micro-flowers are fabricated.•The photocatalyst exhibits large surface area and board visible light response.•The activity for H2 evolution and 2,4-DCP is significantly enhanced.•The improved charge separation is responsible for the enhanced photoactivities.•A clear photocatalytic mechanism is proposed.
To more effectively boost H2 evolution and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) degradation, graphite carbon nitride (CN) wrapped on ZnO and Fe-doped ZnO nanosheet-assembled, hierarchical micro-flowers were prepared using a facile method. These photocatalysts were characterized by various techniques and their photocatalytic activities were evaluated for water reduction and 2,4-DCP degradation. It was found that the present photocatalysts exhibited hexagonal structures with an extended board visible region response and high specific surface area. The hierarchical ternary system of g-C3N4-coupled Fe-doped ZnO (CN/Fe-ZnO) exhibited significantly improved photocatalytic activity for H2 production and photo-degradation of the 2,4-DCP pollutant. Based on the photoluminescence and photo-electrochemical results, we found that the improved photocatalytic performance of the hierarchical CN/Fe-ZnO photocatalyst is due to the boosted photo-induced electron-hole pair’s separation. A clear charge transfer and photocatalytic mechanism is proposed, which may be beneficial for designing such types of heterostructures.