Fluorine doped g-C3N4 coupled NiFe2O4 heterojunction: Consumption of H2O2 for production of hydroxyl radicals towards paracetamol degradation

Construction of visible-light-driven heterojunction photocatalyst with robust redox ability to degrade the organic pollutant is a great challenge in environmental remediation field. Herein, we have proposed the F (fluorine) doped carbon nitride (FCN) coupled NiFe2O4 (NFO) heterojunction for photo Fenton-like commercial paracetamol (PAM) drug degradation. Fluorine doping in g-C3N4 could enhance the light absorption ability and inhibit the charge recombination rate through intermediate band structure. The addition of NFO to FCN further reduces the charge recombination rate and leads to photon Fenton-like degradation. The enormous production of hydroxyl (OH center dot) radicals through photo-Fenton reaction can greatly improves the PAM degradation and exhibited the 71% of TOC removal efficiency. The reactive oxygen species for the photo Fenton-like reaction was determined by adding NBT (nitroblue tetrazolium), and TA (terephthalic acid) as a trapping reagent for O-2(-) and OH center dot radicals respectively. High consumption of chemical oxidant (H2O2) also plays a vital role in OH center dot radical production and PAM degradation. The FCN coupled NFO photocatalyst with high activity and stability could acts as a promising material for environmental remediation application.

Automated summary

The construction of a visible-light-driven heterojunction photocatalyst with robust redox ability is a significant challenge in environmental remediation. The FCN coupled NFO photocatalyst demonstrated high activity in degrading the organic pollutant and exhibited promising potential for environmental remediation applications.