AgInS2 Decorated g-C3N4 for Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Nitrogen Fixation Synergistic Tetracycline Degradation

Combining photocatalytic nitrogen fixation with antibiotic wastewater degradation reaction is of great significance. As a metal-free photocatalyst, g-C3N4 has great application prospect in the field of bifunctional photocatalytic reaction because of its abundant raw materials, simple preparation method, low toxicity, and high stability. However, the further development of g-C3N4 is limited by its wide band gap (2.7 eV) and high recombination rate of carriers. In this paper, AgInS2 nanospheres modified g-C3N4 nanosheets were successfully prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. The photocatalytic nitrogen fixation activity of the obtained AgInS2-g-C3N4 hybrid was nearly two times (91 mu mol/h/g) higher than that of g-C3N4. In addition, by adding a proper amount of tetracycline pollutant into the photocatalytic system, the photocatalytic nitrogen fixation activity was further increased to 248 mu mol/h/g, and the synergistic degradation of tetracycline environmental pollutants was realized. Through a series of experimental characterization and theoretical calculation, the morphology and carrier dynamics of photocatalyst were systematically explored. The results show that the introduction of AgInS2 nanospheres improves the utilization rate of sunlight, surface active sites and carrier transport rate of g-C3N4. This work provides references for the design of environmentally friendly photocatalysts and their applications in the fields of environmental purification and energy conversion. [GRAPHICS] .