Synthesis and characterization of ternary composite g-C3N4-WO3/rGO for photocatalytic activity in degradation of methylene blue

Abstract

ABSTRACT. In the present research work, ternary composite g-C₃N₄-WO₃/rGO was prepared by using ultrasonic assisted wet impregnation procedure. The prepared ternary composite was characterized by using FT-IR, powder XRD, SEM, and EDX techniques. FTIR studies confirmed the presence of characteristic bonds of the representative components in the composite by showing their characteristic peaks. The XRD pattern of ternary composite g-C₃N₄-WO₃/rGO showed the presence of peaks responsible for monoclinic phase of pure tungsten oxide (WO₃) and the characteristic peaks of graphitic C₃N₄ and GO. SEM studies of g-C₃N₄-WO₃/rGO revealed the presence of randomly dispersed tungsten oxide particles in between agglomerated 2-D layers of carbon nitride and GO sheets. EDX data confirmed the phase purity in the form of elemental composition of the prepared composite and further provided At wt% of each element in the composite. Photocatalytic activity of the synthesized composite was evaluated by performing photocatalytic degradation test of methylene blue (MB). The rate of degradation was measured by using Shimadzu UV-1800 UV-Vis Spectrophotometer by recording the decreasing concentration of dye in terms of their absorbance values. The results exhibited that g-C₃N₄-WO₃/rGO showed better degradation efficiency in 180 min.

KEY WORDS: Impregnation, Composite, Photocatalyst, Degradation, Methylene blue

Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2023, 37(5), 1123-1131.                                                        

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v37i5.5