Photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B over a novel mesoporous titanosilicate/g-C3N4 nanocomposite under direct sunlight irradiation

A novel heterojunction of mesoporous titanosilicate/graphitic carbon nitride (TSCN) inorganic-organic hybrid composite has been developed. The synthesized mesoporous TSCN nanocomposites were characterized by various analytical techniques for structural and chemical properties. Finely distributed porous titanosilicate was observed on the surface of the g-C3N4 from the FE-SEM and TEM analysis. More significantly, the TSCN nanocomposite exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity in the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under sunlight irradiation. The optimum photocatalytic activity of TSCN10 at 10 wt% of g-C3N4 under visible light is almost 5 and 3 fold higher than pure titanosilicate (TS) and pure g-C3N4 (CN) respectively. The synthesized photo-catalysts are highly stable even after five successive experimental runs. The improved photocatalytic performance of the TSCN10 hybrid nanocomposite photo-catalysts under visible light irradiation was due to the high surface area and synergistic effect. Therefore, TSCN10 hybrid photo-catalyst is a promising material for energy conversion and environmental remediation. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.