Direct Z-scheme heterojunction rutile-TiO2/g-C3N4 catalyst constructed by solid grinding method for photocatalysis degradation

Constructing a direct Z-scheme heterojunction is an effective method to improve the catalytic performance of photocatalyst. Here, the direct Z-scheme heterojunction rutile-TiO2/g-C3N4 photocatalyst was constructed by a simple solid grinding method. This method can not only avoid the weak activity of rutile-TiO2 in high synthesized temperature condition, but also precisely control the amount of g-C3N4. The evaluation of photodegradation reaction suggests that the rutile-TiO2/g-C3N4 photocatalyst exhibits higher photodegradation efficiency than the pure rutile-TiO2 and the pure g-C3N4 under simulated sunlight irradiation, and the optimal photocatalytic performance is achieved when the mass ratio of rutile-TiO2 to g-C3N4 is 2:5. The experimental results prove that a direct Z-scheme heterojunction is formed over the rutile-TiO2/g-C3N4 photocatalyst, which promotes the effective electron-hole separation and the higher redox potential over the rutile-TiO2/g-C3N4 photocatalyst. This work provides an attractive strategy to construct the direct Z-scheme photocatalyst consisted of rutile-TiO2 and g-C3N4.