WSe(2)/g-C(3)N(4) for an In Situ Photocatalytic Fenton-like System in Phenol Degradation

An in situ photo-Fenton system can continuously generate H(2)O(2) by photocatalysis, activating H(2)O(2) in situ to form strong oxidizing ·OH radicals and degrading organic pollutants. A WSe(2)/g-C(3)N(4) composite catalyst with WSe(2) as a co-catalyst was successfully synthesized in this work and used for in situ photo-Fenton oxidation. The WSe(2)/g-C(3)N(4) composite with 7% loading of WSe(2) (CNW2) has H(2)O(2) production of 35.04 μmol/L, which is fourteen times higher than pure g-C(3)N(4). The degradation efficiency of CNW2 for phenol reached 67%. By constructing an in situ Fenton-system, the phenol degradation rate could be further enhanced to 90%. WSe(2) can enhance the catalytic activity of CNW2 by increasing electron mobility and inhibiting the recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Moreover, the addition of Fe(2+) activates the generated H(2)O(2), thus increasing the amount of strong oxidative ·OH radicals for the degradation of phenol. Overall, CNW2 is a promising novel material with a high H(2)O(2) yield and can directly degrade organic pollutants using an in situ photo-Fenton reaction.