Enhanced photocatalytic performance for ethyl mercaptan by CoO/HTi2NbO7-NS p-n heterojunction nanocomposites

CoO/HTi2NbO7-NS nanocomposite was constructed via the composite procedure of HTi2NbO7 nanosheet (HTi2NbO7-NS) and cobalt oxide nanoparticles (CoO-NPs) by a hydrothermal method. The as-prepared samples were characterized by XRD, HRTEM, EDS, LRS, XPS, and UV-Vis DRS. The adsorption and photocatalytic performances of the as-prepared samples were evaluated using ethyl mercaptan (EM) in methane gas as the model pollutant. Results indicated that CoO-NPs were uniformly distributed on the surface of HTi2NbO7-NS. The interfacial p-n heterojunction was formed. The spectral absorption edge of CoO/HTi2NbO7-NS was significantly red-shifted and the band gap was narrowed compared with HTi2NbO7-NS due to the interaction. The results also shown that CoO/HTi2NbO7-NS has the largest adsorption capacity for EM at 340.5 mu mol g(-1) and the strongest photocatalytic oxidation performance, the EM could be photocatalytic oxidized to sulfoxide. The present work indicated that the p-n heterojunction material of the CoO/HTi2NbO7-NS was promising for mercaptans adsorption and degradation.