Graphitic carbon nitride grown in situ on aldehyde-functionalized α-Fe2O3: All-solid-state Z-scheme heterojunction for remarkable improvement of photo-oxidation activity

Aldehyde-functionalized α-Fe 2 O 3 /graphitic carbon nitride (α-Fe 2 O 3 -DBD/g-C 3 N 4 ) was successfully synthesized through Schiff-based reaction between aromatic aldehydes in 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde and NH 2 groups in urea. The 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde around α-Fe 2 O 3 were advantageous to in situ growth of graphitic carbon nitride on α-Fe 2 O 3 to form the contact interface by chemical bonds and beneficial to the electron transfer , leading to the formation of Z-scheme photocatalytic system. The α-Fe 2 O 3 -DBD/g-C 3 N 4 photocatalysts exhibited a remarkable improvement in the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) compared with bulk g-C 3 N 4 . The enhanced photocatalytic activity was attributed to the enhanced charge separation efficiency and higher redox potential . This study presents a simple and efficient method to construct all-solid-state Z-scheme photocatalytic system with the formation of tight contact interface and nonmetal materials (aromatic rings) as electron mediators for the removal of complex pollutants.