Construction of g-C(3)N(4)-mNb(2)O(5) Composites with Enhanced Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity

A series of composites consisting of g-C(3)N(4) sheet and mesoporous Nb(2)O(5) (mNb(2)O(5)) microsphere were fabricated by in situ hydrolysis deposition of NbCl(5) onto g-C(3)N(4) sheet followed by solvothermal treatment. The samples were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N(2) adsorption-desorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The photocatalytic activity of the composites was studied by degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm). Compared with g-C(3)N(4) and mNb(2)O(5), g-C(3)N(4)-mNb(2)O(5) composites have higher photocatalytic activity due to synergistic effect between g-C(3)N(4) and mNb(2)O(5). Among these composites, 4% g-C(3)N(4)-mNb(2)O(5) has the highest efficiency and good recyclability for degradation of both RhB and TC-HCl.