Efficient photo-assisted Fenton-like reaction of yolk-shell CuSe(Cu 2 Se)/g-C 3 N 4 heterojunctions for methylene blue degradation.

Herein, a CuSe(Cu 2 Se) yolk-shell structure (CC) was synthesized when room temperature was 25 degree Celsius using Cu 2 O as a soft template, and the g-C 3 N 4 /CuSe(Cu 2 Se) heterojunction (CC-G) was formed by coupling appropriate amounts of g-C 3 N 4 in the selenization process to provide a novel, green, economical, and efficient photo-Fenton catalytic material. Photo-Fenton degradation experiments proved that in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), a small amount of g-C 3 N 4 hybridization on Cu-based Fenton catalysts significantly improved methylene blue (MB) degradation. The suitable amount of g-C 3 N 4 hybridization was selected according to the degradation efficiency. The mass of g-C 3 N 4 constituted 20% of the mass of the Cu 2 O soft template. The composite material prepared using this combination (CC-G-20) exhibited the best MB degradation performance. The MB degradation efficiency in the CC-G-20/H 2 O 2 /visible light system was almost 98.3% after 60 min, which is higher than those of the parent materials (g-C 3 N 4 , 12.7%; CC, 58.6%) and had cyclic stability. The catalytic system can also stably degrade MB under dark conditions, where the MB degradation was almost 82% after 60 min. The heterojunction prevented excessive electrons and holes (e - and h + ) recombination, stabilizing the reactive active substance of hydroxyl in the photo-Fenton-like catalytic system. Electron paramagnetic resonance and photoluminescence experiments confirmed this inference.