A facile synthesis of g-C3N4/WS2 heterojunctions with enhanced photocatalytic reduction activity of U(VI)

Photocatalytic reduction of U(VI) is an economical and efficient method to remove U(VI) from uranium-containing wastewater, so it becomes particularly vital to find an effective photocatalyst. In this study, the g-C3N4/WS2 samples were prepared to reduce U(VI) by in-situ thermal polymerization. The g-C3N4/WS2 samples show excellent performance in the interface carriers transfer and photogenerated carriers separation. The results showed the optimal photocatalyst was CN/WS2-5 (pH = 5.0), which was 3.1 times upper than that of pure g-C3N4. Furthermore, CN/WS2-5 exhibited photoreduction stability and recyclability. Based on its facile preparation and high-efficiency reaction activity, CN/WS2-5 is excellent photocatalyst for the practical development of photocatalysis.