Rapid elimination of antibiotic gemifloxacin mesylate and methylene blue over Pt nanoparticles dispersed chitosan/g-C3N4 ternary visible light photocatalyst

Appropriate material selection and proper understanding of bandgap modification are key factors for the development of efficient photocatalysts. Herein, we developed an efficient, well-organized visible light oriented photocatalyst based on g-C 3 N 4 in association with polymeric network of chitosan (CTSN) and platinum (Pt) nanoparticles utilizing a straightforward chemical approach. Modern techniques like XRD, XPS, TEM, FESEM, UV–Vis, and FTIR spectroscopy were exploited for characterization of synthesized materials. XRD results confirmed the involvement of α-polymorphic form of CTSN in graphitic carbon nitride. XPS investigation confirmed the establishment of trio photocatalytic structure among Pt, CTSN, and g-C 3 N 4 . TEM examination showed that the synthesized g-C 3 N 4 possesses fine fluffy sheets like structure (100 to 500 nm in size) intermingled with a dense layered framework of CTSN with good dispersion of Pt nanoparticles on g-C 3 N 4 and CTSN composite structure. The bandgap energies for g-C 3 N 4 , CTSN/g-C 3 N 4 , and Pt@ CTSN/g-C 3 N 4 photocatalysts were found to be 2.94, 2.73, and 2.72 eV, respectively. The photodegradation skills of each created structure have been examined on antibiotic gemifloxacin mesylate and methylene blue (MB) dye. The newly developed Pt@CTSN/g-C 3 N 4 ternary photocatalyst was found to be efficacious for the elimination of gemifloxacin mesylate (93.3%) in 25 min and MB (95.2%) just in 18 min under visible light. Designed Pt@CTSN/g-C 3 N 4 ternary photocatalytic framework exhibited ⁓ 2.20 times more effective than bare g-C 3 N 4 for the destruction of antibiotic drug. This study provides a simple route towards the designing of rapid, effective visible light oriented photocatalyts for the existing environmental issues.