Photocatalytic Activity of Nonprecious Metal WSe2/g-C3N4 Composite Under Visible Light Irradiation.

The WSe2/g-C3N4 (graphite carbon nitride) composite with photocatalytic properties was synthesized using a hydrothermal method. This synthesis pathway can be characterized by being simple, inexpensive and nonpolluting, integrating the concept of green chemistry. The WSe2/g-C3N4 composite could effectively degrade methyl orange solution under visible light irradiation. The decolorization experiment of methyl orange solution shows that the degradation rate of the 30 wt.% WSe2/g-C3N4 composite can reach 98.7% after 100 min of illumination, while the degradation rate of pure g-C3N4 was only 87.6% under the same conditions. This can be attributed to the fact that the combination of WSe2 and g-C3N4 nanosheets can increase the number of active binding sites, increasing the rate of charge separation and transport ability, decreasing the recombination rate of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Therefore, the WSe2/g-C3N4 composite will have potential development as a new material with low cost, easy synthesis and excellent performance in photocatalytic degradation of water pollution. The present research shown that WSe2/g-C3N4 composite has excellent photocatalytic properties for the degradation of MO in visible light. Photogenerated electron–hole pairs promote the degradation of MO into CO2, water and other minerals in acidic environment. Furthermore, the unique two-dimensional layered structure of WSe2 increases the active sites of the reaction, and the photocatalytic degradation efficiency is improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]