CaTiO3 perovskite /g-C3N4 heterojunction-based composite photocatalyst, part II: Synthesis, characterization and the boosted photocatalytic activity towards Gemifloxacin

Due to the potential ecosystem protection and management applications, searching to achieve highly optimized semiconductor-based photocatalysts utilizing solar energy is still a significant challenge. Thus, CaTiO3/g-C3N4 heterostructures synthesis via in-situ calcination method was synthesized here, and its structure was investigated by different characterization techniques such as FT-IR, XRD, SEM, EDX, X-ray mapping, cyclic voltammetry (CV), EIS, and DRS techniques. The average crystallite size of the composite sample was estimated at 3.8 nm and 3.5 nm, respectively, according to the Scherrer and Williamson-Hall using XRD results. pHpzc values were approximately 8.6, 5.5, and 6.5 for CaTiO3, g-C3N4, and CaTiO3/g-C3N4 samples. Based on the DRS data, the evaluated band gap energy for the g-C3N4, CaTiO3, and CaTiO3/g-C3N4 were 2.76, 3.5, and 2.6 eV, respectively. EIS and CV data confirmed better charge carriers' transfer in the composite. The proposed CaTiO3/g-C3N4 composite showed a synergistic effect in the photodegradation of Gemifloxacin in an aqueous solution under both UV and Vis light illumination. Changes in the CaTiO3:g-C3N4 ratio varied the photocatalytic activity of the obtained catalyst.