Optimal synthesis of Ag modified g-C3N4 for improved visible light photocatalytic performance and self-cleaning applications

In pursuit of the appropriate method for complete removal of organic effluents from surface water, Ag modified g-C3N4 materials as a photocatalyst gained considerable attention. In this paper, Ag doped g-C3N4 materials were prepared by a facile one-pot pyrolysis method. The synthesized photocatalysts were studied using different analytical techniques like XRD, HR-TEM, XPS, UV, FTIR, PL spectroscopy, etc. The prepared photocatalyst materials were used for the visible light photodegradation of IC dye as an organic pollutant and for self-cleaning applications. The obtained results indicate that the optimized Ag doped g-C3N4 (CNA-1) sample exhibits 79.97 % degradation efficiency in 30 min with efficient self-cleaning performance. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of CNA-1 can be attributed to the incorporation of Ag, which plays a pivotal role in absorbing visible light. Furthermore, cycling tests were employed to evaluate the stability and reusability of material. The possible photocatalytic mechanism was proposed from trapping experiments.