BiOBr/g-C₃N₄ Planar Heterostructures toward Enhanced Tetracycline Hydrochloride Removal

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Chemistry
• Photocatalysis

Background:

• Tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) pollution poses significant environmental challenges.
• Efficient photocatalysts are crucial for degrading TCH, requiring enhanced redox ability and light absorption.
• Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr) are promising photocatalytic materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel S-scheme BiOBr/g-C3N4 heterostructures for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of TCH.
• To investigate the role of heterostructure formation on light absorption and redox capabilities.
• To evaluate the photocatalytic performance and degradation mechanism of the synthesized materials.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of g-C3N4 nanosheets via two-step thermal polymerization.
• Deposition of BiOBr nanoplates onto g-C3N4 nanosheets using wet-chemical precipitation.
• Characterization of S-scheme BiOBr/g-C3N4 heterostructures and evaluation of photocatalytic activity under visible light.

Main Results:

• The S-scheme BiOBr/g-C3N4 heterostructure exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance, degrading 80% of 50 mg/L TCH in 60 min.
• The degradation rate was 6 and 3.4 times higher than pristine g-C3N4 and BiOBr, respectively.
• Superoxide radicals were identified as the dominant species in TCH degradation, with good cyclic stability (72% after 6 cycles).

Conclusions:

• The S-scheme heterostructure effectively enhances charge separation and retains high redox ability for pollutant degradation.
• The developed BiOBr/g-C3N4 material offers a promising solution for environmental remediation.
• This work provides valuable insights into designing high-performance photocatalysts for environmental applications.