Highly Efficient and Exceptionally Durable Photooxidation Properties on Co₃O₄/g-C₃N₄ Surfaces

Water pollution is a significant social issue that endangers human health. The technology for the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in water can directly utilize solar energy and has a promising future. A novel Co₃O₄/g-C₃N₄ type-II heterojunction material was prepared by hydrothermal and calcination strategies and used for the economical photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) in water. Benefitting the development of type-II heterojunction structure, the separation and transfer of photogenerated electrons and holes in 5% Co₃O₄/g-C₃N₄ photocatalyst was accelerated, leading to a degradation rate 5.8 times higher than that of pure g-C₃N₄. The radical capturing experiments and ESR spectra indicated that the main active species are •O₂^- and h⁺. This work will provide possible routes for exploring catalysts with potential for photocatalytic applications.