Evaluating the photocatalytic efficiency of polypyrrole-enhanced Bi₂WO₆/g-C₃N₅ nanocomposites for effective organic pollutant degradation

Abstract

The effective development of an advanced Z-scheme photocatalytic system, denoted as g-C₃N₅@/Bi₂WO₆/Ppy, was achieved by incorporating graphitic carbon nitride and Bi₂WO₆ nanoparticles, which were reinforced with polypyrrole (PPy). In the Z-scheme system, PPy functions as an Ohmic contact as a conductive polymer, thereby enabling the transfer of charge between g-C₃N₅ and Bi₂WO₆. The XRD confirms the crystalline nature of the Bi₂WO₆ and photocatalyst. The bandgap of the photocatalyst was enhanced, as determined through UV-DRS. BET studies confirms that adding pyrrole to g-C₃N₅@/Bi₂WO₆ significantly increases the surface area of the photocatalyst. Specifically, the 1:10 g-C₃N₅@/Bi₂WO₆ with PPy composition demonstrated exceptional photocatalytic activity, destroying over 96 % of Rhodamine B (RhB) and 98 % of Methylene Blue (MB) in 60 minutes under visible light. The primary species involved in the photocatalytic process are superoxide radicals (O₂•−) and holes (h⁺), according to photoelectrochemical tests and scavenging experiments. In recycling photocatalytic studies, the photocatalysts showed outstanding stability.