In-situ fabrication of Ag/g-C₃N₄ composite materials with improved photocatalytic activity by coordination-driven assembly of precursors

The incorporation of noble metals into semiconductors has been proven to be effective for the construction of highly efficient composite photocatalytic systems. In this work, the Ag/graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) composite was in-situ fabricated by combining the coordination-driven assembly of precursors and calcination process. The interactions between precursors favor the formation of well-defined rod-like Ag-containing complex intermediates, the subsequent annealing of the obtained intermediates produces the Ag/g-C₃N₄ composite catalysts with improved photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB). Although the composite differs in the morphology and nitrogen-containing precursor, the role of generated Ag component in the Ag/g-C₃N₄ composite is considered to be crucial for the enhancement both in light-harvesting ability and photocatalytic activity owing to its unique surface plasmonic effects. Holes and radicals trapping experiments imply that photo-induced active holes and superoxide radicals are predominant under visible light irradiation and make major contributions to improved photocatalytic performance. The finding provides an opportunity to design and in-situ synthesize noble metal-doped semiconductor heterojunctions for potential applications in photocatalysis, photovoltaic and photoelectronic devices.