Synthesis of RGO and g-C₃N₄ hybrid with WO₃/Bi₂WO₆ to boost degradation of nitroguanidine under visible light irradiation

A cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) assisted bottom-up route to prepare Bi₂WO₆ fraction-let materials. WO₃/Bi₂WO₆ binary hybrid with 2-D structure was designed by a facile hydrothermal process. Subsequently, RGO and g-C₃N₄ nanosheets were incorporated into WO₃/Bi₂WO₆ via a cost-effective process. These nano-components of smart materials could simultaneously absorb and degrade contaminants in visible light. Nitroguanidine is an energetic material and harmful to the environment when released into the water. According to the data, NQ is more soluble in water than TNT or RDX, so NQ is more likely to cause water pollution. In this paper, the NQ in wastewater was degraded by using the RGO and g-C₃N₄ doped WO₃/Bi₂WO₆. The results indicated that RGO-WO₃/Bi₂WO₆(R-W-B) and g-C₃N₄-WO₃/Bi₂WO₆ (G-W-B) showed greater degradation rate (0.02731 min^− 1 and 0.02462 min^− 1) as compare to WO₃/Bi₂WO₆ (0.0084 min^− 1). The improved photocatalytic performance of G-W-B or R-W-B accredited to the cascade structure of the synthesized materials. For G-W-B, the holes transferred from WO₃ to Bi₂WO₆ and then to g-C₃N₄ which prolong the lifetime of photo-generated charges via the valence band potential gradient. The electrons transferred from Bi₂WO₆ to WO₃ then to RGO for R-W-B.