Eco-friendly synthesis of g-carbon nitride coated graphene nanocomposites for superior visible photodegradation of hydroquinone: Physicochemical mechanisms and photo-Fenton effect

C3N4 coated graphene core–shell nanoparticles (g-C3N4@G) nanosheets are prepared via the combustion method to highlight their photocatalytic enhancement importance. The structural properties of g-C3N4@G samples have been defined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning electron microscope (SEM). Diffused reflectance and its related direct and indirect optical bandgap have been studied. g-C3N4@G nanosamples were subjected to hydroquinone (HQ) photodegradation. It is observing the visible light absorption improvement until reaching the maximum at CNG-6 with 99.7 % degradation. Coating facilitates the electron-hole separation via the g-C3N4@G junction, causing more O2–, ·OH, and holes for encouraging hydroquinone degradation. Both the H2O2 and Fe2+-ion improve the photodegradation of hydroquinone in the absence and presence of g-C3N4@G. Eco-friendly g-C3N4@G are promising photocatalytic materials for the visible degradation of hydroquinone as waste from companies and laboratories. Such a low-cost photocatalyst, visible light-harvesting, would open doors for extensive applications in environmental protection.