Fast electron transfer and enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity by using poly-o-phenylenediamine modified AgCl/g-C₃N₄ nanosheets

Exfoliation of bulk graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) into two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets is one of the effective strategies to improve its photocatalytic properties so that the 2D g-C₃N₄ nanosheets (CN) have larger specific surface areas and more reaction sites. In addition, poly-o-phenylenediamine (PoPD) can improve the electrical conductivity and photocatalytic activity of semiconductor materials. Here, the novel efficient composite PoPD/AgCl/g-C₃N₄ nanosheets was first synthesized by a precipitation reaction and the photoinitiated polymerization approach. The obtained photocatalysts have larger specific surface areas and could achieve better visible-light response. However, silver chloride (AgCl) is susceptible to agglomeration and photocorrosion. The PoPD/AgCl/CN composite exhibits an extremely high photocurrent density, which is three times that of CN. Obviously enhanced photocatalytic activities of PoPD/AgCl/g-C₃N₄ are revealed through the photodegradation of tetracycline. The stability of PoPD/AgCl/CN is demonstrated based on four cycles of experiments that reveal that the degradation rate only decreases slightly. Furthermore, •O₂^- and h⁺ are the main active species, which are confirmed through a trapping experiment and ESR spin-trap technique. Therefore, the prepared PoPD/AgCl/CN can be considered as a stable photocatalyst, in which PoPD is added as a charge carrier and acts a photosensitive protective layer on the surface of the AgCl particles. This provides a new technology for preparing highly stable composite photocatalysts that can effectively deal with environmental issues.