g-C3N4/ZnWO4 films: Preparation and its enhanced photocatalytic decomposition of phenol in UV

The films of photocatalysts have been widely used in decomposition in organic pollutants. In this study, ZnWO4 and g-C3N4/ZnWO4 photocatalysts were made into films. The samples were evidently investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), field emission on scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (XPS), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and electrochemical experiments. After modified by g-C3N4, the g-C3N4/ZnWO4 films presented a significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance in degrading phenol under UV irradiation (about 2 times than pure ZnWO4). In conclusion, it was g-C3N4 increasing the separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs that contribute to the enhancement of photocatalytic performances. This work is of great value for preparation of photocatalysts films. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.