Fabrication of Na-W Co-Doped Exfoliated G-C3N4 Nanoparticles for Methylene Blue Removal

Bulk g-C3N4 has very poor photocatalytic activity. Many methods have been utilized to increase the photocatalytic performance of this semiconductor. Here, a simple preparation was used to create exfoliated g-C3N4 that was co-doped with sodium and tungsten. The produced Na-W co-doped exfoliated g-C3N4 was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The doping samples with Na and W changed the band structure of the g-C3N4 lattice, which increased light absorption and caused a reduction in the band gap. The samples had layered morphology. After exfoliation and sodium and tungsten co-doping of the samples, the methylene blue photodegradation was greatly enhanced. The doping of the samples also had an impact on the dye adsorption capacity. The dye removal activity of the Na-W co-doped exfoliated g-C3N4 sample is higher than those of pure bulk g-C3N4 and pure exfoliated g-C3N4. The rate reaction constant (k) of the Na-W co-doped exfoliated g-C3N4 is up to 3.3 times greater than that of bulk g-C3N4. The produced photocatalyst may be utilized for the treatment of wastewater comprising methylene blue as the pollutant agent.