Photo(electro)catalyst of Flower-Like Cobalt Oxide Co-Doped g-C3N4: Degradation of Methylene Blue under Visible Light Illumination

Abstract

This work reported on the solid state synthesis of the flower-like Co(OH)2/g-C3N4 nanocomposite, using a modified hydrothermal method, for the degradation of MB, an organic pollutant. These nanomaterials were characterized for structure, surface morphology and composition using XRD, SEM and XPS, respectively. The photocatalytic activities of the as-prepared materials loaded on FTO glass substrates were evaluated for their degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible irradiation and constant voltage. The promoting effect of Fw-Co(OH)2 on g-C3N4 was investigated under the influence of introduced various Co(OH)2 amounts. The fabricated composite catalyst showed significantly improved catalytic performance compared to pristine g-C3N4. Degradation by 25% Fw-Co(OH)2/g-C3N4 can achieve about a 100% ratio within 180 min under visible light in a three-electrode system. Moreover, Fw-Co(OH)2/g-C3N4 was easily regenerated and reused, and still possessed good degradation ability. These results suggest that Fw-Co(OH)2/g-C3N4 could be promising for application as a low-cost and high-efficiency catalyst for wastewater treatment and organic pollutant degradation.