Fluorinated inverse opal carbon nitride combined with vanadium pentoxide as a Z-scheme photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic activity

In this work, Z-scheme V2O5 loaded fluorinated inverse opal carbon nitride (IO F-CN/V2O5) was synthesized as a product of ternary collaborative modification with heterostructure construction, element doping and inverse opal structure. The catalyst presented the highest photocatalytic activity and rate constant for degradation of typical organic pollutants Rhodamine B (RhB) and was also used for the efficient removal of antibiotics, represented by norfloxacin (NOR), sulfadiazine (SD) and levofloxacin (LVX). Characterizations confirmed its increased specific surface area, narrowed bandgap, and enhanced visible light utilization capacity. Further mechanism study including band structure study and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) proved the successful construction of Z-scheme heterojunction, which improved photo-generated charge carrier migration and provide sufficient free radicals for the degradation process. The combination of different modifications contributed to the synergetic improvement of removal efficiency towards different organic pollutants.