The enhanced photodegradation of bisphenol A by TiO₂/C₃N₄ composites

A new photocatalyst of TiO₂/C₃N₄ composite (TiO₂/g-C₃N₄) was synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The characterization showed that TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ extended absorption light range and enhanced generation efficiency of photo-induced electron. Under the simulated solar irradiation, the photodegradation rate of bisphenol A (BPA) by TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ was twice as fast as that of g-C₃N₄. Furthermore, TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ presented the good stability and excellent selectivity for BPA degradation. The high degradation rate of BPA by TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ was demonstrated to be superoxide radical (·O₂^-) and singlet oxygen (¹O₂) by radical quenching experiment, which was further evidenced by EPR, XPS, DRS and PL analysis. These findings revealed that TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ can be used as a potential photocatalyst for removing organic pollutants in actual environmental remediation.