Photocatalytic degradation of MO and phenol over novel β-CoOOH/g-C3N4 composite under visible light irradiation

A direct Z-scheme β-CoOOH/g-C3N4 photocatalyst is rationally designed. The as-prepared β-CoOOH/g-C3N4 catalyst exhibit remarkably improved photocatalytic performance toward degradation of methyl orange (MO) and phenol compared with g-C3N4. The efficient electron-hole pairs separation was responsible for the improved catalytic performance. Moreover, O2− and OH radicals are found to be the key species toward degradation of MO, while holes (h+) and OH radicals are the most critical species for degradation of phenol, as proved by the active species trapping experiments and ESR technique measurements. This study provides new insights into the deliberate design of g-C3N4 based photocatalysts with unique photoelectric property.