Nitrogen photofixation ability of g-C3N4 nanosheets/Bi2MoO6 heterojunction photocatalyst under visible-light illumination

Abstract In this study, we combined bismuth molybdate with graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets with different percentages of 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%, in which noticeable N2 photoreduction under visible-light illumination was seen for the binary g-C3N4 nanosheets/Bi2MoO6 photocatalysts, denoted as NCN/BMO. The XPS, HRTEM, TEM, XRD, EDX, UV–vis DRS, N2 adsorption-desorption, FT-IR, TGA, PL, photocurrent, and EIS instruments were utilized to characterize the fabricated photocatalysts. The results displayed the construction of type-II heterojunction between the NCN and BMO components for the easy charge transfer. Under mild conditions and using ethanol as a hole scavenger, the NCN/BMO (30%) nanocomposite showed the maximum capability for ammonia generation by 3271 µmol/L g, which is 1.9 and 9.2 times higher than the NCN and BMO components, respectively. The effects of solvent type, pH of solution, and electron scavenger on the rate of NH4+ production were also studied and conversed. Finally, the stability of the NCN/BMO (30%) nanocomposite was evaluated for four cycles, in which the results were desirable.