Green synthesis of Ag/g-C3N4 composite materials as a catalyst for DBD plasma in degradation of ethyl acetate

An Ag/g-C3N4 composite was successfully synthesized through an ultrasonic-calcination process. The catalyst was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and ultraviolet visible absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis) analyses. The results showed that Ag supported on g-C3N4 was highly dispersed, and the number of active sites increased. Ag/g-C3N4 was applied as a catalyst to dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma for ethyl acetate (EA) degradation. The Ag loading improved the response range of g-C3N4 to visible light and increased the photocatalytic performance. The infrared spectrum analysis of exhaust gas indicated that the main degradation products of EA were CO, CO2 , ozone (O-3), and NO2. DBD coupled with the catalyst not only elevated the degradation efficiency of EA as well as the mineralization ratio of EA, but also reduced the content of O-3 and abated secondary pollution.