Construction of WO₃/CN Z-Type Heterojunction Containing Oxygen Vacancies to Enhance Formaldehyde Degradation Efficiency and Photocatalytic Performance

Abstract

In this study, WO₃ nanorods were synthesized via acid-induced and hydrothermal methods, and WO₃/CN composites were prepared through simple thermal copolymerization. This was achieved with the objective of enhancing the formaldehyde degradation efficiency and photocatalytic dye degradation capacity of graphite-enhanced carbon nitride (CN). The composite material degraded formaldehyde 90.3% under 4 h of light irradiation, exhibiting a degradation rate that is 3.57 times that of pure CN. At the same time, the degradation of RhB was basically completed after 40 min of illumination, and the degradation rate was 3.92 times that of pure CN. The augmented photodegradation activity is ascribed to the synergistic effect of Z-type heterojunction formation and oxygen vacancy existence. This enhancement in light absorption capacity is achieved by means of an effective separation of photogenerated carrier under visible light irradiation. Moreover, oxygen vacancies furnish an abundance of active sites, thereby reducing carrier migration distances and enhancing photocatalytic activity through the promotion of carrier separation. In addition, the catalyst demonstrates exceptional stability and reproducibility, maintaining its performance over a period of four cycles.

Keywords

Graphitic carbon nitride / WO₃ / Z-Type heterojunction / Oxygen vacancy / Photocatalysis

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Jilin University, The Editorial Department of Chemical Research in Chinese Universities and Springer-Verlag GmbH