Facile Synthesis with TiO2 Xerogel and Urea Enhanced Aniline Aerofloat Degradation Performance of Direct Z-Scheme Heterojunction TiO2/g-C3N4 Composite

Abstract

Different TiO2/g-C3N4 (TCN) composites were synthesized by a simple pyrolysis method with TiO2 xerogel and urea. The structure and physicochemical properties of TCN were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectrum, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, N2-adsorption isotherms and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Aniline Aerofloat was chosen as a typical degradation-resistant contaminant to investigate the photodegradation activity of TCN under UV irradiation. The results indicated that TCN had higher light absorption intensity, larger specific surface area and smaller particle size compared to pure TiO2. Furthermore, TCN had great recycling photocatalytic stability for the photodegradation of Aniline Aerofloat. The photocatalytic activity depends on the synergistic reaction between holes (h+) and hydroxyl radicals (·OH). Meanwhile, the direct Z-scheme heterojunction structure of TiO2 and g-C3N4 postpones the recombination of h+ and electrons to enhance UV-light photocatalytic activity.