Title: Synthesis and photocatalytic activity of ZnO/g-C3N4 materials under visible light
Abstract: Novel photocatalysts ZnO/g-C3N4 have been synthesized by a facile route in which mixtures of zinc acetate dihydrate and melamine are heated at 550 oC. The obtained materials were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectra (IR), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS). The UV-vis DRS results showed that ZnO, g-C3N4, and ZnO/g-C3N4 materials possess bandgap of around 3.25, 2.70, and 2.79 eV, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of the materials was assessed by degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light. Among the three materials, ZnO/g-C3N4 exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity. The improved photocatalytic activity of the ZnO/g-C3N4 is attributed to the presence of g-C3N4 in the materials.