Facile Fabrication of RuS2/g-C3N4 Heterostructure for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution and Degradation of Malathion Insecticide
摘要
Highly efficient visible-light-driven RuS₂/g-C₃N₄ heterostructured photocatalysts were fabricated through a simple hydrothermal method. The composition, structure, morphology, and optical properties of the as-prepared RuS₂, g-C₃N₄, and RuS₂/g-C₃N₄ composites were characterized by XRD, FTIR, XPS, TEM, and UV-Vis DRS. Interestingly, the photocatalytic activity and charge carrier separation efficiency of RuS₂/g-C₃N₄ were strongly influenced by the heterostructure formation. Among the prepared materials, RuS₂/g-C₃N₄ exhibited the highest hydrogen evolution rate (1942 µmol g⁻¹), which is ~ 2.9 and 1.6 times higher than pristine g-C₃N₄ (678 µmol g⁻¹) and RuS₂ (1234 µmol g⁻¹), respectively. The enhanced performance could be attributed to the synergetic interaction between RuS₂ and g-C₃N₄, efficient charge transfer at Z-scheme heterojunction, and suppression of electron–hole recombination. Furthermore, RuS₂/g-C₃N₄ demonstrated excellent photocatalytic degradation of malathion (98%), and the degradation pathway was proposed based on LC-MS analysis. Theoretical toxicity predictions confirmed that the some of the intermediates are non-hazardous. The composite also showed remarkable stability under repeated cycles, highlighting its potential for practical energy and environmental applications.