g-C3N4 based Z-scheme photocatalysts for environmental pollutants removal

In the last few years, the interest in photocatalysis has increased rapidly because of its important role in environmental depollution and energy crisis. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) photocatalyst has attracted attention because of its physicochemical properties and facile preparation however its efficiency in charge carrier separation must be improved. Z-scheme-based heterostructures are getting attention because of the effective separation of charge carriers with increased oxidation and reduction capability. Especially, the direct Z-scheme seems to be the ideal proposed photocatalytic system for the creation of composite nanomaterials. This short review concerns the development and application of Z-scheme-based g-C3N4 composite materials and their photocatalytic efficiency against emerging pollutants (pharmaceutical, organic dyes, etc) for the last 3 years. Except from the type of coupled semiconductors in the Z-scheme heterostructure, the dimensionalities of the semiconductors could play a crucial role in the effectiveness of the photocatalyst.