One-step facile fabrication and photocatalytic activities of ZnS@g-C3N4 nanocomposites from sulfatotris(thiourea)zinc(II) complex

ZnS@g-C3N4 composite photocatalyst containing g-C3N4 nanoplates and ZnS nanoparticles was facilely fabricated by one-step calcination from the complex sulfatotris(thiourea)zinc(II) for the first time. Thiourea serves not only as the sulfur source of ZnS, but also as the precursor of g-C3N4. The as-prepared composite photocatalyst was then characterized using Fourier transform infrared, diffuse reflectance and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area measurements. It displays a higher visible-light photocatalytic activity, including an ability to photodecompose water to produce hydrogen and organic dye photodegradation, than ZnS alone. The photocatalytic mechanism is also discussed in detail. Photoluminescence spectra and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy Nyquist plots indicate that the formation of the ZnS@g-C3N4 composite contributes to the separation of photoinduced charge carriers which enhances its photocatalytic activity. This study presents a new method for the fabrication of novel sulfide/g-C3N4 composites with enhanced photocatalytic performance. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.