Facile synthesis, characterization and optical properties of Ag2WO4 incorporated g-C3N4 hybrid composites for H2 production

The hydrothermal approach was used to synthesise a composite photocatalyst of Ag 2 WO 4 /g-C 3 N 4 . This photocatalyst proved effective in preventing Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) when exposed to visible light. Imaging microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), N 2 adsorption–desorption analysis, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), and photoluminescence (PL) were among the many methods used to comprehensively characterize the photocatalysts’ physicochemical characteristics. In comparison to pure g-C 3 N 4 and Ag 2 WO 4 under visible light, the produced photocatalysts demonstrated significantly improved photocatalytic cleaning efficiency. In addition, under visible light irradiation for 60 min, a mixture of 5 percent Ag 2 WO 4 and 100 milligrammes of g-C 3 N 4 was able to entirely kill many live bacteria. The ideal mass ratio for this combination was 5 weight percent. By working in tandem, g-C 3 N 4 and Ag 2 WO 4 increase the separation rate of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and ensure that Ag 2 WO 4 particles are evenly distributed over the g-C 3 N 4 surface, leading to a high disinfection efficiency. These hybrids outperform pure g-C 3 N 4 in the visible range when it comes to the efficiency of hydrogen evolution (3761.1 µmol h −1  g −1 ). A higher degree of photocatalytic activity may be achieved in the composite Ag 2 WO 4 /g-C 3 N 4 photocatalyst through boosting the spacing of charge carriers produced by photons in the two photocatalysts.