In-situ intercalation of MoO3-x in g-C3N4 for the enhancement of photocatalytic and antibacterial activities

Abstract Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) with desired microstructure and chemical functionalities has been drawing considerable interests in terms of their potential applications for environmental treatment and clean energy production. Herein, a novel structure of MoO3-x―intercalated g-C3N4 (Mo-g-C3N4) and the synthesis strategy were demonstrated by using melamine molybdate as a precursor. The single-source precursor of melamine molybdate ensured the homogeneous mixing between MoO3-x and g-C3N4 at molecular level. Meanwhile, the strongly chemical interaction between melamine and molybdate promoted the in-situ intercalation of MoO3-x into g-C3N4 interlayer. The intercalation of MoO3-x not only improved the visible-light absorption ability, but also facilitated charge separation through interlayer pathway for g-C3N4. As expected, the Mo-g-C3N4 possesses enhanced activity in the photo-degradation of methyl orange and photo-destruction of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria illuminated by visible light. The radicals trap experiments revealed that the holes (h+) are dominant species in the photocatalysis process over Mo-g-C3N4. Accordingly, a possible photocatalysis mechanism of pollutants over Mo-g-C3N4 was developed. This study opens up a new way for optimizing microstructure of g-C3N4-based materials with favorable photocatalytic properties.