Rice spike-like g-C3N4/TiO2 heterojunctions with tight-binding interface by using sodium titanate ultralong nanotube as precursor and template

A novel rice spike-like g-C 3 N 4 /TiO 2 nanowire heterojunctions are fabricated by hydrothermal treating Na 2 Ti 3 O 7 ultralong nanotubes in the presence of g-C 3 N 4 . The presence of g-C 3 N 4 promotes the hydrolysis of Na 2 Ti 3 O 7 ultralong nanotubes. The partially replaced O of TiO 2 by N from g-C 3 N 4 leads to the formation of a tight-binding interface between one dimensional TiO 2 and two dimensional g-C 3 N 4 , which is crucial for fast and effective transfer of photogenerated electrons in heterostructured photocatalysts . As a result, the g-C 3 N 4 /TiO 2 nanowire heterojunctions exhibit excellent visible-light photocatalytic activity. The kinetic constant (k) of g-C 3 N 4 /TiO 2 (0.024 min −1 ) for degradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation is 1.85 and 4 times than that of pure g-C 3 N 4 and P25, respectively.