Facile Synthesis of ZnO:Sb/g-C₃N₄ Composite Materials for Photocatalysis Applications

Pure ZnO, Sb-doped ZnO, and ZnO:Sb/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite were prepared using a simple wet chemical route. The XRD results showed the hexagonal wurtzite structure of synthesized nanoparticles. The inclusion of Sb and Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) changes the lattice parameters without affecting crystal structure. From TEM images, the morphology of the ZnO:Sb/g-C₃N₄ nanoparticle was found to be agglomerated spherical nanoparticles which are embedded over the nanosheets of graphitic carbon. The P.L. studies of ZnO:Sb/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite exhibit reduced luminous intensity due to increased charge transfer among the ZnO:Sb and g-C₃N₄which improved the photocatalytic activity. A decrease in the optical energy band gap of ZnO:Sb/g-C₃N₄ nanoparticles from 3.3 to 3.26 eV was analyzed by Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photodegradation of Methylene Blue dye was studied in the presence of photocatalysts. The degradation efficiency and rate constant values for ZnO:Sb/g-C₃N₄ are 86% and 0.037 min⁻¹for 60 min.