Development of Indium vanadate and Silver deposited on graphitic carbon nitride ternary heterojunction for advanced photocatalytic degradation of residual antibiotics in aqueous environment

In the study, Indium vanadate and Silver deposited on Graphitic carbon nitride (InVO4@[email protected]3N4) ternary heterojunction was successfully synthesized for advanced photocatalytic degradation of amoxicillin residue in aqueous environment. In the ternary heterojunction, silver metal generated plasmon resonance to effectively enhance electron-hole separation of both g-C3N4 and InVO4 components. Silver also acted as an electron mediator to improve its transfer from the InVO4 conduction band to the g-C3N4 valence band. Thus, the InVO4@[email protected]3N4 heterojunction effectively absorbed incident visible light to produce electrons at the conduction band of the g-C3N4 and holes at the valence band of the InVO4. These produced electrons exhibited high reduction potential to effectively react with O2 to form •O2− radicals, which could directly degrade amoxicilin or continuously oxidize H2O to produce •OH radicals for amoxicillin degradation. The photo-induced holes had high oxidation potential to degrade amoxicillin directly or to react with H2O to produce •OH radicals for effective degradation of the antibiotics. Thus, the synthesized InVO4@[email protected]3N4 ternary heterojunction showed advanced photocatalysis for degradation of amoxicillin. Finally, the recovered experiments indicated that the InVO4@[email protected]3N4 ternary heterojunction exhibited high stability and recycling ability during photocatalysis.