Ternary Composite of g‐C ₃ N ₄ /ZnFe ₂ O ₄ /Fe ₂ O ₃ : Hydrothermal Synthesis and Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance

Abstract

Abstract A ternary composite of g‐C 3 N 4 /ZnFe 2 O 4 /Fe 2 O 3 was synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Structural and optical properties of the as‐synthesized composites were characterized and the photocatalytic performances were evaluated via the degradation of Rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. Results showed that this ternary composite exhibited a higher photocatalytic activity compared to the binary ZnFe 2 O 4 /Fe 2 O 3 systems in this research. The enhanced activity could be attributed to the stepped arrangement of the band structures of its components which enabled electron transfer from g‐C 3 N 4 to ZnFe 2 O 4 then to Fe 2 O 3 through the potential gradient, thus facilitating the charge separation and retarding their recombination. Moreover, the g‐C 3 N 4 /ZnFe 2 O 4 /Fe 2 O 3 exhibited stable photochemical performance without obvious deterioration after five successive runs, while the ternary composites could be conveniently separated by using an external magnetic field, showing a promising application for the photo‐oxidative degradation of organic contaminants.