New and highly efficient Ultra-thin g-C3N4/FeOCl nanocomposites as photo-Fenton catalysts for pollutants degradation and antibacterial effect under visible light

The photo-Fenton reaction was widely used in the removal of pollutants in waste water, which makes it exhibit great potential in the field of environmental remediation. Hence, it is crucial to explore a new efficient and stable photo-Fenton catalyst driven by visible light. In this work, a simple two-step calcination method was used to synthesize sheet-like stacked Ultra-thin g-C3N4/FeOCl (CNF) materials. The morphology, composition, photo-Fenton performance, and antibacterial properties were systematically analyzed. Research results exhibited that the synthesized CNF catalysts showed enhanced visible light absorption capacity and excellent photo-Fenton performance. Compared with FeOCl alone, CNF displayed stronger degradation ability for rhodamine B (RhB) and could achieve 97% degradation within 9 min, which was about 10 times that of pure FeOCl. At the same time, the composite catalysts exhibited excellent antibacterial effects under photo-Fenton conditions. The antibacterial rate of CNF composite catalyst under photo-Fenton conditions can reach almost 99%, which was 3 times that of photocatalysis alone and 2 times that of Fenton alone. The heterojunction formed between Ultra-thin g-C3N4 and FeOCl promoted the separation of e− and h+. Simultaneously, the presence of e− promoted the cycle of Fe3+ and Fe2+ in FeOCl, thereby promoting the generation of hydroxyl radicals (OH) from H2O2 and improving the photo-Fenton activity to achieve the effect of degrading pollutants and antibacterial. The photo-Fenton catalysis and degradation mechanism were analyzed in detail. This work provided a theoretical basis for the application of CNF material in the removal of wastewater. [Display omitted] •Ultra-thin g-C3N4/FeOCl is synthesized by a simple two-step calcination method.•Ultra-thin g-C3N4/FeOCl as a visible light driving surface Fenton catalyst.•Electrons act as bridges promoting photocatalysis and Fenton reactions.•Ultra-thin g-C3N4/FeOCl can efficiently remove pollutants and antibacterial.