NiO modified tubular g-C3N4 on carbon cloth for efficient degradation of rhodamine B

A novel photocatalyst for the construction of tubular graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)/nickel oxide (NiO) heterojunction on carbon cloth (CC) is reported. Using ZnO nanorods as sacrificial template, tubular g-C3N4 nanosheets with thickness of 20 nm were grown on carbon cloth by thermal condensation. Then, NiO nanosheets were grown on g-C3N4 tubes by electrodeposition and calcination. In the light of visible light, the removal rates of rhodamine B (RhB) by g-C3N4/NiO/CC and g-C3N4/CC photocatalysts were 98% and 32%, respectively, within 60 min. The experiment was repeated five times, we found no significant decrease in photocatalyst activity. CC supported photocatalysts have broad application prospects in the degradation of organic dyes.