In Situ Fabrication of Foamed Titania Carbon Nitride Nanocomposite and Its Synergetic Visible-Light Photocatalytic Performance

Efficient visible-light-driven materials are key for environmental remediation. The foamed titania-carbon nitride nanocomposite (FTCN) was synthesized by in situ microemulsification followed by calcination using bulk g-C3N4 and TBOT. During calcination the bulk g-C3N4 transformed into ultrathin nanosheets. The nanocomposite is characterize by state of the art physicochemical techniques; the structure look like foam with mesoporous cavities. The carbon nitride nanosheets were uniformly distributed and mostly embedded inside the bulk of titania with close interfacial connection. The FTCN-3 nanocomposite has superior degradation performance for MB and RhB with rate constants of 0.096 and 0.061 (min(-1)), respectively. This upmost photocatalytic activity could be ascribed to large S-BET (339 m(2) g(-1)) and foamed structure. These are considered significant factors for efficient visible-light absorption and slow recombination of charges during photocatalysis. This is an inventive strategy to enhance the potential of TiO2 in diverse fields.