Fabrication of AgFeO₂/g-C₃N₄ nanocatalyst with enhanced and stable photocatalytic performance

Highlights: • AgFeO₂/g-C₃N₄ nanocatalyst was synthesized via a facile precipitation method. • The composite displays superior e^∧/h⁺ pair separation compared to AgFeO₂ and g-C₃N₄. • The composite shows high and stable photocatalytic activity both in water and air. • The active h⁺ plays the dominate role in the degradation process. - Abstract: This work reported a novel AgFeO₂/g-C₃N₄ composite with enhanced photocatalytic activity, which was fabricated by a simple precipitation method. The g-C₃N₄ sheets with thickness of 2• 4 nm were successfully loaded on the surface of the AgFeO₂ particles. As compared to pure AgFeO₂ and pure g-C₃N₄, the as-prepared AgFeO₂/g-C₃N₄ photocatalysts exhibited superior absorption in the visible-light region and displayed promising visible-light photocatalytic performance in the degradation of organic contaminations both in water and in air. About 94% of Acid red G (ARG) can be degraded by the optimized AgFeO₂/g-C₃N₄ sample, which is ∱/47.5 and ∱/410.7 times higher than that by pure AgFeO₂ and pure g-C₃N₄, respectively. Meanwhile, it can also effectively degrade ∱/487% of gaseous formaldehyde to CO₂ within 9 h. The enhanced photocatalytic property and stability of the AgFeO₂/g-C₃N₄ composite can be attributed to its specific nanostructure, effective electron-hole separation and the formation of Z-scheme heterostructure between AgFeO₂ and g-C₃N₄. This work could provide new and helpful insights into the photocatalytic application of Ag-based delafossite materials.