Visible-light-induced g-C3N4/Ni-Al LDH nanocomposites with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Through a green protocol, Ni-Al layered double hydroxides (Ni-Al LDHs) with malar ratio of 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 were prepared in ultrasonic bath at a low temperature using hexamethylenetetramine as template. Effects of the initial reagent concentration, ultrasound illumination power, and reaction time on the shape and size of the nanostructured Ni- Al LDHs were investigated. Under ultrasonic irradiation, the synthesized nanostructures were combined with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) as a new nanocomposite for photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) dye as a pollutant model. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), powder XRD, and FT-IR spectroscopy were employed to characterize the g-C3N4/Ni-Al LDH nanocomposites. Besides, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to investigate the thermal stability of this compound. g-C3N4/Ni-Al LDH nanocomposites demonstrated a more advanced photocatalytic behavior under visible light, which can be explained by the increased specific surficial area and decreased rate of the electron-hole recombination. The optimal percentage of weight for g-C3N4 was 20%. Our synthesized g-C3N4/Ni-Al LDH seem to be highly promising for future applications in different commercial fields and industries. Moreover, they are applicable for photodegradation of other organic pollutants.

Keywords:

g-C3N4/Ni-Al LDH nanocomposites , Sonochemistry , Ultrasound , Methyl orange , Photocatalytic degradation