Enhanced photocatalytic properties of g-C 3 N 4 /ZnO/attapulgite (CNZATP) composite nano-mineral materials on methylene blue dye degradation

The modified nano-ZnO semiconductor material, developed in this research, has an extensive bandgap with a distinctly prohibited bandwidth due to its morphological structure (granular, dumbbell-shaped, sheet-like, four-needle, flower-like). The carrier of photocatalytic materials was attapulgite (ATP), which was loaded with nano-zinc oxide particles. Using ATP as a carrier, a variety of various mixtures of ZnO/ATP composites were created. A scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and UV-Vis spectrophotometer (UV-Vis) were used to examine the morphology, synergistic effects, and photocatalytic properties of ZnO/ATP Nanocomposites. The target pollutant for photocatalytic degradation is methylene blue solution. When ATP is mixed with pure ZnO, the degrading performance of composite nanomaterials in methylene blue solution is considerably enhanced. The degree of methylene blue degradation increases as the amount of ATP in the composite grows, and the degradation rate of ZnO/40% ATP can reach 96 percent in 45 minutes. The amount of ATP in the system is excessive, and the adsorption effect is visible. The optimal composite ratio was determined to be ZnO/30 percent ATP. Following the discovery of the ideal composite ratio and synergy of ATP and ZnO, g-C 3 N 4 was compounded in the aforesaid system to further increase the composite's photocatalytic activity. After compounding g-C 3 N 4 , the photocatalytic performance of the composites improves dramatically and at 45 min, the degradation rate of methylene blue reaches 97%. The absorption range and intensity of ternary composites increase, and the photogenerated electron-hole recombination rate decreases significantly. The reaction rate constant increases from 0.033 min-1 to 0.069 min-1. The degradation rate of g-C 3 N 4 / ZnO/30% ATP to methylene blue was found to be 91.5% after 5 cycles. These characteristics indicate that a long-lasting modified nano-ZnO semiconductor with improved photocatalytic capabilities was created.