Rational Design of Hierarchical Alloy-Containing Z-Scheme Catalytic Materials toward Effective Conversion of Nitric Oxide Toxic Species under Mild Conditions

We demonstrate a composite photocatalyst for nitric oxide conversion, which consists of the Cu–Fe alloy and the Z-scheme of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and ZnIn2S4, and the excellent photocatalytic performance is 6.45-fold that of g-C3N4. Time-resolved photoluminescence confirmed the delay effect on the charge recombination. Transient absorption spectroscopy indicated that the heterojunction establishment was mainly due to the hole-trapping ability of ZnIn2S4. The combined effects of the Cu–Fe alloy were confirmed by the NO-specific adsorption and conversion experiments. The involved active species was examined via electron spin resonance. The density functional theory calculations revealed the molecular mechanisms of photocatalytic conversion of NO to NO3–. Therefore, g-C3N4|ZnIn2S4|CuFe has the potential to help meet the challenges in sustainable and efficient pollutant conversion.