Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue Dye with g-C3N4/ZnO Nanocomposite Materials Using Visible Light

The g-C3N4/ZnO nanocomposite materials were applied to degrade methylene blue (MB). The samples were characterized and evaluated to study the adsorption and photocatalytic degradation under visible light. The g-C3N4 was incorporated at percentages of 5%, 10%, 20%, and 40% relative to the ZnO weight. These composite materials were prepared using a solvothermal microwave technique. The structural, textural, morphological, and optical properties were investigated using XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDS, STEM, BET, UV-Vis, and XPS techniques. The XRD patterns of the samples showed the coexistence of crystalline phases of g-C3N4 and ZnO, while images and elemental composition analysis confirmed the formation of nanocomposite samples. The UV-Vis spectrum revealed a redshift in the absorption edge of the nanocomposites, indicating improved light-harvesting capability. The synthesized material g-C3N4/ZnO (20/80), with a surface area of 25 m2/g, exhibited higher photocatalytic performance, achieving 85% degradation of MB after 100 min under visible light, which corresponds to nearly three times the degradation efficiency of commercial P25-TiO2 (31%) under the same conditions. The reusability and stability tests were conducted up to the fifth cycle, and this material showed 77% degradation, indicating good stability. This nanocomposite material has good potential as a photocatalyst for solar-driven MB.