Synthesis and characterization of g-C3N4/α-Fe2O3 composites with enhanced photocatalytic activity

A novel composite photocatalyst g-C3N4/alpha-Fe2O3 was prepared through calcination method. The photocatalysts were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The obtained g-C3N4/alpha-Fe2O3 composites show high efficiency for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RHB). The optimum photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4/Fe2O3 at a g-C3N4 content of 8.6% under visible light irradiation is almost 4.8 times as high as that of pure alpha-Fe2O3. The enhancement in visible light photoactivity of g-C3N4/alpha-Fe2O3 composites was attributed to the introduction of g-C3N4 and the interaction between g-C3N4 and alpha-Fe2O3.