Preparation of a Novel Nanostructured Lead Titanate Composite Photocatalyst and Its Degradation of Organic Dyes under Visible Light.

Photocatalytic dye degradation is an energy-saving, environmentally friendly and sustainable way of managing potentially toxic wastewater from the textile industry. PbTiO₃ was prepared using a solid-state reaction method, and an optimal ratio of PbTiO₃/TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ photocatalyst was synthesized using the sol-gel method to test its ability to decompose organic dyes. Methylene blue (MB) was selected as a target dye to test the photocatalytic effects. SEM results showed that the synthesis of a PbTiO₃/TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ photocatalyst yielded a unique nano structure with many surface pores. UV-Vis analysis demonstrated that the novel composite photocatalyst had higher visible light absorption, and a reduced energy gap. Experimental results showed that of the samples tested, PTO/TO/CN 1.0 showed the best photocatalytic effect on the removal of MB. Under visible light, the removal rate of MB by PTO/TO/CN 1.0 was up to 98.79%. The novel PTO/TO/CN 1.0 photocatalyst exhibited relatively high MB adsorption and had a high photocatalytic ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]