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The g-C3N4/Ag/Bi2O2CO3 nanosheets were synthesized using a mixture of precursors containing melamine and nitrates of silver and bismuth through a simple one-pot synthesis strategy. In the presence of ammonium nitrate, g-C3N4/Ag/Bi2O2CO3 composite catalysts with different silver mass ratios were prepared, and the photodegradation performance of the composite samples was evaluated by photodegradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) under simulated solar light irradiation. The synthesized composites were characterized by XPD, XPS, FT-IR, TEM, UV–vis DRS and PL. It was found that the g-C3N4/Ag/Bi2O2CO3 catalyst with Ag mass ratio of 4% exhibited the highest catalytic activity, and the degradation effect was more than 9 times that of pure C3N4 and nearly 5 times that of g-C3N4/Bi2O2CO3.In addition, cyclic experiments showed that g-C3N4/Ag/Bi2O2CO3 composites had certain stability. The photocatalytic performance of the g-C3N4/Ag/Bi2O2CO3 composites was attributable to the heterogeneous junction of Bi2O2CO3 and g-C3N4 and the surface plasmon resonance effect (SPR) of Ag nanoparticles. The energy levels of Bi2O2CO3 and g-C3N4 were properly matched to form a heterojunction, which promoted the separation and transfer of photogenerated electrons and holes, thereby improving the photocatalytic performance. The Ag surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect not only accelerated the separation and transmission of electron–hole pairs, but also enhanced the absorption of visible light. Finally, based on the above basis, a possible photocatalytic mechanism was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Great interest has been attracted to enhancing the photoelectrochemical performances of BiVO4. However, there have rarely been reported about addressing their PEC stability. Herein, it is proposed that Fe ions doping could enhance the stability and PEC performances of BiVO4, which may because it could improve the crystalline structure and eliminates the crystal defects of BiVO4. Moreover, it is found that metal-organic framework can play a co-catalyst role during the PEC experiments. We designed and fabricated nanoporous Fe-doped BiVO4 modified with MIL-53(Fe), which exhibits much higher PEC performance and stability than pristine BiVO4 and Fe-doped BiVO4. It is believed that MIL-53(Fe) can capture the photogenerated holes and thus facilitates the charge separation efficiency.Graphical Abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Great efforts have been paid to improve the photoelectrochemical performances of FeVO4 semiconductors. However, there have rarely been reported about the modifying of FeVO4 with metal-free co-catalyst for enhanced photoelectrochemical activities. Herein, we demonstrate a facile and effective immersion method for coupling ultrathin g-C3N4 nanosheets with nanoporous FeVO4 photoelectrodes. The FeVO4/g-C3N4 heterostructures demonstrate more than twice higher photocurrent density than pure nanoporous FeVO4 photoelectrodes, which should be attributed to the metal-free co-catalyst of ultrathin g-C3N4. It is believed that the ultrathin g-C3N4 nanosheets can effectively trap the photo excited holes and facilitates the charge separation efficiency and thus significantly improve the photoelectrochemical performances of FeVO4.Graphical Abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]