WS2/g-C3N4 composite as an efficient heterojunction photocatalyst for biocatalyzed artificial photosynthesis

A heterogeneous WS2/g-C3N4 composite photocatalyst was prepared by a facile ultrasound-assisted hydrothermal method. The WS2/g-C3N4 composite was used for photocatalytic regeneration of NAD(+) to NADH, which were coupled with dehydrogenases for sustainable bioconversion of CO2 to methanol under visible light irradiation. Compared with pristine g-C3N4 and the physical mixture of WS2 and g-C3N4, the fabricated WS2/g-C3N4 composite catalyst with 5 wt% of WS2 showed the highest activity for methanol synthesis. The methanol productivity reached 372.1 mol h(-1) g(cat)(-1), which is approximately 7.5 times higher than that obtained using pure g-C3N4. For further application demonstration, the activity of the WS2/g-C3N4 composite catalyst toward photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) was evaluated. RhB removal ratio approaching 100% was achieved in 1 hour by using the WS2/g-C3N4 composite catalyst with 5 wt% of WS2, at an apparent degradation rate approximately 2.6 times higher than that of pure g-C3N4. Based on detailed investigations on physiochemical properties of the photocatalysts, the significantly enhanced reaction efficiency of the WS2/g-C3N4 composite was considered to be mainly benefiting from the formation of a heterojunction interface between WS2 and g-C3N4. Upon visible-light irradiation, the photo-induced electrons can transfer from the conduction band of g-C3N4 to WS2, thus recombination of electrons and holes was decreased and the photo-harvesting efficiency was enhanced.