Construction of S-scheme g-C3N4/PbTiO3 heterojunction and its highly efficient photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants under simulated sunlight

This study successfully synthesized a composite photocatalyst g-C 3 N 4 /PbTiO 3 through hydrothermal and calcination methods using PbTiO 3 and g-C 3 N 4 . The catalyst was characterized by XRD, FTIR, Raman, XPS, SEM, TEM, UV–vis DRS, PL, and other techniques. The results indicate that the composite photocatalyst exhibits efficient electron transfer, enhanced light absorption, effective separation and utilization of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, demonstrating superior photocatalytic activity. Under simulated sunlight, the removal efficiency of methyl blue (MB) with an initial concentration of 10 mg/L reaches 93.0% after 120 min. After five cycles, the degradation efficiency of MB is 79.2%, still maintaining 85% of the initial catalytic activity. The pH values in the range of 4.0–7.0, inorganic anions, and water quality have a minimal impact on the photocatalytic degradation of MB. Additionally, the composite photocatalyst exhibits strong removal capabilities for other pollutants, such as tetracycline. Therefore, the prepared catalyst demonstrates good feasibility for practical applications. Free radical quenching experiments indicate that hydroxyl radicals (·OH) are the primary active groups in the photocatalytic degradation of MB. Based on this, a photocatalytic mechanism involving a S-scheme heterojunction has been proposed. This study provides new insights into preparing PbTiO 3 composite semiconductors and constructing novel S-scheme heterojunctions.