C3N4/GO@MF composites for synergistic Adsorption-Photocatalysis contributions to organic pollutant removal

Aiming to remove the organic pollutant in wastewater, carbon nitride (C3N4)/graphene oxide (GO) hybrid loaded on three-dimensional (3D) melamine foam (MF) (C3N4/GO@MF) nanocomposites was constructed, achieving the synergistic adsorption-photocatalysis effect. The macroporous structure of MF provided the efficient mass contact and the light transfer. C3N4 was in-situ polymerized on GO nanosheets, which was deposited on the framework of MF. The uniform distribution of C3N4/GO inhibited the accumulation of powder catalyst and achieved the high specific surface area, leading to the enhanced adsorption ability. More importantly, the stable interaction between C3N4 and GO facilitated the visible light harvesting and the separation of photo-induced charges. As a result, the effective removal of rhodamine B (RhB) was realized by the synergistic adsorption-photocatalysis effect of C3N4/GO@MF composite. The visible-light photocatalytic efficiency of C3N4 was further improved by the excellent electrical conduction of GO nanosheets. This work presented the significance of free-standing photocatatalytic composites with 3D framework for the potential application for the removal of aqueous organic pollutants.