Nanosheet g-C₃N₄ enhanced by Bi₂MoO₆ for highly efficient photocatalysts toward photodegradation of Rhodamine-B dye

The investigation of a proficient photocatalytic system for the degradation of organic pollutants holds significant importance in the field of environmental management. This study presents a binary type II heterojunction photocatalyst, Bi₂MoO₆/g-C₃N₄ which is synthesized using an eco-friendly ultrasonic-assisted method. Various characterization methods (XRD, FTIR, XPS, BET, TEM, UV-vis, and PL) are used to investigate the crystalline structures, composition, surface analysis, morphology, and optical properties of the photocatalyst. All the Bi₂MoO₆/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites show better photocatalytic activity for Rhodamine B dye (Rh-B) degradation under Ultraviolet light irradiation than the pure g-C₃N₄. The photocatalytic activity of the 10 % Bi₂MoO₆/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite is found to be the greatest among the tested samples. the 10 % Bi₂MoO₆/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite demonstrates the ability to degrade 94.6 % of Rh-B (1 × 10^-5 M) within 3 h, with a rate constant of 0.015 min-1. Notably, this rate constant is 7 times greater than that observed for pure g-C₃N₄, which has a rate constant of 0.00218 min^-1. The effect of several reaction factors on the Rhodamine B (Rh-B) removal is studied. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of 10 % Bi₂MoO₆/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite is mainly due to the formation of 2D/2D type II structures, increasing the active sites and the separation rate of photogenerated carriers. A possible photocatalytic reaction mechanism of Rhodamine B (Rh-B) degradation over Bi₂MoO₆/g-C₃N₄ is suggested based on active species trapping experiment. Moreover, the high stability and recyclability exhibited by the 10 % Bi₂MoO₆/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite provide strong evidence supporting its suitability as a viable photocatalyst for wastewater treatment purposes.