SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND PHOTOCATALYTIC APPLICATIONS OF S-DOPED GRAPHITIC CARBON NITRIDE NANOCOMPOSITES WITH NICKEL DOPED ZINC OXIDE NANOPARTICLES

Abstract

Coprecipitation method was adopted for the synthesis of undoped and Ni-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized particles was examined by degradation of methylene blue under UV bulb. The S-doped graphitic carbon nitride was obtained by calcination of thiourea and composites were formed with S-doped graphitic carbon nitride and nickel doped zinc oxide nanoparticles using liquid exfoliation method. The ethanol and water were used as solvents for the liquid exfoliation. The photocatalytic activity was performed under UV and visible light by using a UV-visible spectrophotometer with different concentrations of composites for the degradation of methylene blue. The doping of nickel on zinc oxide nanoparticles and formation of sulfur doped graphitic carbon nitride composites were confirmed by FTIR and XRD analyses. The FTIR analysis sowed a signal at 838cm-1 due to the presence of Ni-O bond. The peaks at 3649cm-1 and 3735cm-1 confirmed the presence of amide group. The shift in absorption maxima from 364nm to 376nm (red shift) in UV spectrum was a confirmation of increased Ni content. The different concentrations of composites showed great impact on the degradation of methylene blue.