Ternary Composite of g-C₃N₄/ZnFe₂O₄/Fe₂O₃: Hydrothermal Synthesis and Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance

A ternary composite of g-C₃N₄/ZnFe₂O₄/Fe₂O₃ 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 ZnFe₂O₄/Fe₂O₃ 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-C₃N₄ to ZnFe₂O₄ then to Fe₂O₃ through the potential gradient, thus facilitating the charge separation and retarding their recombination. Moreover, the g-C₃N₄/ZnFe₂O₄/Fe₂O₃ 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.