3-Dimensional cube InO/g-CN nanosheet composite for photodegradation of VOC-contaminated water.

In this study, a hydrothermal approach was used to couple three-dimensional InO cubes with graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) nanosheets to form InO/g-CN composites. To investigate the charge carrier border for photocatalytic enhancement, pure InO, pure g-CN and InO/g-CN composites were prepared. The coupling of InO particles to the g-C3N4 nanosheets was examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Well-pure InO with a clearly defined cubic crystal plane phase was characterized by the XRD patterns. Elemental mapping and optical properties were assessed using SEM-EDX and UV-DRS analysis. For the degradation of benzene, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and 1-Butanol, pure InO, pure g-CN, and InO/g-CN composites were applied under visible light irradiation. Among all samples, the 20 %InO/g-CN composite exhibited the highest performance for all types of volatile organic compound degradation. A Z-scheme for the combined photocatalytic and degradation processes was proposed.