Abstract
The design of highly efficient and stable photocatalysts to utilize solar energy is a significant challenge in photocatalysis. In this work, a series of novel p-n heterojunction photocatalysts, Li(2)SnO(3)/g-C(3)N(4), was successfully prepared via a facile calcining method, and exhibited superior photocatalytic activity toward the photodegradation of Rhodamine B solution under visible light irradiation as compared with pure Li(2)SnO(3) and g-C(3)N(4). The maximum kinetic rate constant of photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B within 60 min was 0.0302 min(-1), and the composites still retained excellent performance after four successive recycles. Chemical reactive species trapping experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance demonstrated that hydroxyl radicals (·OH) and superoxide ions ( · O2- ) were the dominant active species in the photocatalytic oxidation of Rhodamine B solution, while holes (h(+)) only played a minor role. We demonstrated that the enhancement of the photocatalytic activity could be assigned to the formation of a p-n junction photocatalytic system, which benefitted the efficient separation of photogenerated carriers. This study provides a visible light-responsive heterojunction photocatalyst with potential applications in environmental remediation.