Fabrication of rGO-Bridged TiO2/g-C3N4 Z-Scheme Nanocomposites via Pulsed Laser Ablation for Efficient Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction

Highly efficient photocatalysts can be fabricated using favorable charge transfer nanocomposite channel structures. This study adopted pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) to obtain rGO-bridged TiO2/g-C3N4 (rGO-TiO2/g-C3N4) photocatalytic Z-scheme without the need for noble metals. In addition to evaluating the resulting nanocomposite (comprising rGO nanosheets, TiO2 nanotubes, and g-C3N4 nanosheets) CO2 reduction effectiveness, its chemical, morphological, structural, and optical characteristics were examined using various analytical techniques. The findings revealed a synergistic interaction between g-C3N4 and TiO2, suggesting the presence of unique interfacial bonding, as well as enhanced visible light absorption. Notably, the ternary rGO-TiO2/g-C3N4 Z-scheme exhibits an excellent photocatalytic performance by photocatalytically converting CO2 into CO and CH4, with 81 % selectivity towards the CO and 1.91 % apparent quantum efficiency at 420 nm. Thus, the findings can pave the way for various Z-scheme systems in wide photocatalytic applications.