Facile assembled biochar-based nanocomposite with improved graphitization for efficient photocatalytic activity driven by visible light

Abstract

Abstract The preparation processes of efficient photocatalyst containing defect regulation and heterostructure construction are usually complicated and difficult to control at present, besides, the catalyst agglomeration in solution further limits their application. There is an urgent need for designing a potentially cheap, efficient, sustainable and easy-prepared nanocomposite to improve photocatalytic performance. In present study, the facile synthesized porous graphitic carbon with microtubular structure, high graphitization degree and abundant porosity demonstrates an outstanding advantage of excellent conductivity and facilitated mass transport. Such porous graphite biochar (PGBC) self-assembled with g-MoS2 nanosheets is observed by the optimized band gap, enhanced visible light harvesting, accelerated charge transfer and efficient photo-generated carrier’s separation. Considering the favorable specific surface area and pore distribution of PGBC for avoiding nanosheet agglomeration, the as-prepared composites display quite high efficiency for tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) removal based on the synergistic action of the desirable absorption and photocatalytic capability. Mechanism exploration indicates that surface adsorption is mainly dominated by electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking and pore-filling, and hole (h+) and hydroxyl radical (·OH) are the predominant active species responsible for TC degradation. Furthermore, the nanocomposites possess advisable stability performance for TC removal in contaminated river water, further providing an underlying insight for establishing high-efficient and easy-prepared photocatalysts in practical contaminated water remediation.