Black TiO(2) nanobelts/g-C(3)N(4) nanosheets Laminated Heterojunctions with Efficient Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Performance

Black TiO(2) nanobelts/g-C(3)N(4) nanosheets laminated heterojunctions (b-TiO(2)/g-C(3)N(4)) as visible-light-driven photocatalysts are fabricated through a simple hydrothermal-calcination process and an in-situ solid-state chemical reduction approach, followed by the mild thermal treatment (350 °C) in argon atmosphere. The prepared samples are evidently investigated by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, N(2) adsorption, and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, respectively. The results show that special laminated heterojunctions are formed between black TiO(2) nanobelts and g-C(3)N(4) nanosheets, which favor the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Furthermore, the presence of Ti(3+) and g-C(3)N(4) greatly enhance the absorption of visible light. The resultant b-TiO(2)/g-C(3)N(4) materials exhibit higher photocatalytic activity than that of g-C(3)N(4), TiO(2), b-TiO(2) and TiO(2)/g-C(3)N(4) for degradation of methyl orange (95%) and hydrogen evolution (555.8 μmol h(−1 )g(−1)) under visible light irradiation. The apparent reaction rate constant (k) of b-TiO(2)/g-C(3)N(4) is ~9 times higher than that of pristine TiO(2). Therefore, the high-efficient laminated heterojunction composites will have potential applications in fields of environment and energy.