Preparation of CeTiO4/g-C3N4 Composite with Efficient Photocatalytic Activity for Dye-Degradation

The composite of CeTiO4/g-C3N4-x (CTO/CN-x, x g was the addition amount of g-C3N4) was successfully prepared via a simple solid method synthesis. The as. synthesized catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), N-2 adsorption. desorption test, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-Vis DRS), and electrochemical test. It was found that CTO and CN layered nanoplates were closely combined to form heterostructure. CTO/CN-x composite photocatalyst exhibited outstanding visible light response, and it could improve the separation and mobility of photogenerated hole-electron pair. The photocatalytic activity of composite material was assessed by degradation of rhodamine B under simulated sunlight for 140 min. Compared to pure CTO and CN, CTO/CN-x composite showed the enhancement of photocatalytic activity, and the optimum reaction rate constant was 0.020 2 min(-1) for CTO/CN-6 (The addition amount of g-C3N4 was 6 g). The enhanced photocatalytic performance was mainly ascribed to the structure of heterostructure, which could reduce the recombination of CTO photocarriers and improve the transfer of photocarriers.