The enhanced photodegradation of bisphenol A by TiO2/C3N4 composites

A new photocatalyst of TiO 2 /C 3 N 4 composite (TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 ) was synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The characterization showed that TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 extended absorption light range and enhanced generation efficiency of photo-induced electron. Under the simulated solar irradiation, the photodegradation rate of bisphenol A (BPA) by TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 was twice as fast as that of g-C 3 N 4 . Furthermore, TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 presented the good stability and excellent selectivity for BPA degradation. The high degradation rate of BPA by TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 was demonstrated to be superoxide radical (·O 2 − ) and singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) by radical quenching experiment, which was further evidenced by EPR, XPS, DRS and PL analysis. These findings revealed that TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 can be used as a potential photocatalyst for removing organic pollutants in actual environmental remediation.