Sunlight-mediated photocatalytic activity of ZrO₂/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite for removal of Rhodamine B

The photoactivity of graphitic carbon nitride (g–C₃N₄) has historically been primarily constrained by rapid charge recombination rate and limited visible light sensitivity. It has been demonstrated that gC₃N₄ performs better as a photocatalyst when combined with semiconductors to generate composites. In this study, a composites photocatalyst was developed using g-C₃N₄ that was produced in the laboratory and zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) that was produced using hydrothermal synthesis. RhB breakdown in the presence of sunshine was used to examine the photocatalytic efficiency of prepared samples. In comparison to pure g-C₃N₄ and ZrO₂, the degrading performance of the ZrO₂/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites is better. To identify the cause of the increased photocatalytic performance in ZrO₂/g-C₃N₄ composites, all materials are analyzed. Characterization results revealed that ZrO₂ particles were equally distributed across the layer of g-C₃N₄. The ZrO₂/g-C₃N₄ composites successfully reduce electron-hole coupling and reduce charge transfer resistance when compared to both pure g-C₃N₄ and ZrO₂. Additionally, it influences the bandgap and increases the absorbance of visible light. The study also found that the most active species in the catalytic process were O^2- and h⁺. (author)