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A novel one-pot approach of ZnWO4 nanorods decorated onto g-C3N4 nanosheets: 1D/2D heterojunction for enhanced solar-light-driven photocatalytic activity

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Abstract

In this study, we report a novel carbon-based semiconductor photocatalyst g-C3N4/ZnWO4 nanocomposites with various contents of ZnWO4 were successfully constructed through a facile and eco-friendly in situ hydrothermal synthesis. The structure, morphology and chemical states of the as-prepared nanocomposites were studied by XRD, TEM and XPS measurements. Further, the surface of the fabricated 2D g-C3N4 nanosheets was completely decorated with 1D ZnWO4 nanorods. The results of photocatalytic investigations signify that the synthesized heterostructured g-C3N4/ZnWO4 photocatalysts display substantially improved catalytic performance for the decolorization of rhodamine B (RhB) upon visible-light treatment. The improved catalytic activity could be attributed to the formation of heterojunction between g-C3N4 and ZnWO4, and effective photogenerated electron–hole pair’s separation. A likely catalytic reaction mechanism for the improved decomposition efficiency of RhB by g-C3N4/ZnWO4 nanocomposites is also proposed.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Korea government (2017R1A4A1015581, 2019R1F1A1060655 and 2018R1A2B6002849).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, 712-749, Republic of Korea

    Ravindranadh Koutavarapu, Bathula Babu, Ch. Venkata Reddy, Kisoo Yoo & Jaesool Shim

  2. School of Information Engineering, Tongmyong University, Busan, 608-711, Republic of Korea

    Migyung Cho

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  1. Ravindranadh Koutavarapu
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  2. Bathula Babu
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  3. Ch. Venkata Reddy
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  4. Kisoo Yoo
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  5. Migyung Cho
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  6. Jaesool Shim
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Correspondence to Kisoo Yoo, Migyung Cho or Jaesool Shim.

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Koutavarapu, R., Babu, B., Reddy, C.V. et al. A novel one-pot approach of ZnWO4 nanorods decorated onto g-C3N4 nanosheets: 1D/2D heterojunction for enhanced solar-light-driven photocatalytic activity. J Mater Sci 55, 1170–1183 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-019-04022-5

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