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Combining photocatalytic nitrogen fixation with antibiotic wastewater degradation reaction is of great significance. As a metal-free photocatalyst, g-C3N4 has great application prospect in the field of bifunctional photocatalytic reaction because of its abundant raw materials, simple preparation method, low toxicity, and high stability. However, the further development of g-C3N4 is limited by its wide band gap (2.7 eV) and high recombination rate of carriers. In this paper, AgInS2 nanospheres modified g-C3N4 nanosheets were successfully prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. The photocatalytic nitrogen fixation activity of the obtained AgInS2-g-C3N4 hybrid was nearly two times (91 μmol/h/g) higher than that of g-C3N4. In addition, by adding a proper amount of tetracycline pollutant into the photocatalytic system, the photocatalytic nitrogen fixation activity was further increased to 248 μmol/h/g, and the synergistic degradation of tetracycline environmental pollutants was realized. Through a series of experimental characterization and theoretical calculation, the morphology and carrier dynamics of photocatalyst were systematically explored. The results show that the introduction of AgInS2 nanospheres improves the utilization rate of sunlight, surface active sites and carrier transport rate of g-C3N4. This work provides references for the design of environmentally friendly photocatalysts and their applications in the fields of environmental purification and energy conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient photocatalyst capable of forming oxygen defects on the surface of mesoporous TiO2 was obtained via doping molybdenum ions which can obviously broaden the absorption range of TiO2 under visible light and reduce the recombination rate of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. The surface oxygen defects (Vo) introduced by metal molybdenum doping will adsorb and activate target molecules on the semiconductor surface. The effect of Vo content, modulated by Mo ions doping, on the photocatalytic NH3 production rates of the as-obtained samples was investigated. The optimal photocatalytic NH3 generation rate of Mo-doped TiO2 could reach 183.02 μmol·g−1·h−1 under visible light. PL and photoelectrochemical tests results demonstrated that Mo dopants could promote photogenerated carrier's separation and restrain the recombination of carriers. Furthermore, the photocatalysts also exhibited good stability in the recycling experiments for 5 runs. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is owing to the Vo defect states, created by the Mo ion-doped, which benefits to the N2 adsorption and reduction at the Ti4+ activation center during the nitrogen fixation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient photocatalyst capable of forming oxygen defects on the surface of mesoporous TiO2 was obtained via doping molybdenum ions which can obviously broaden the absorption range of TiO2 under visible light and reduce the recombination rate of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. The surface oxygen defects (Vo) introduced by metal molybdenum doping will adsorb and activate target molecules on the semiconductor surface. The effect of Vo content, modulated by Mo ions doping, on the photocatalytic NH3 production rates of the as-obtained samples was investigated. The optimal photocatalytic NH3 generation rate of Mo-doped TiO2 could reach 183.02 μmol·g−1·h−1 under visible light. PL and photoelectrochemical tests results demonstrated that Mo dopants could promote photogenerated carrier's separation and restrain the recombination of carriers. Furthermore, the photocatalysts also exhibited good stability in the recycling experiments for 5 runs. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is owing to the Vo defect states, created by the Mo ion-doped, which benefits to the N2 adsorption and reduction at the Ti4+ activation center during the nitrogen fixation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]