Enhancing methylene blue removal performance through interfacial charge transfer effect in 3D printing g-C3N4/geopolymer/Fe(III) composite

In this study, Fe(III) species were successfully introduced in g-C3N4/Geopolymer samples by an impregnation method. A g-C3N4/GP(Fe) sample can remove methylene blue (MB) by using interfacial charge transfer effect and the synergistic effects of adsorption and photocatalysis, with the best MB removal efficiency of 92.23 % under visible light within 30 min. Geopolymer (GP) can act as an adsorbent as well as a photocatalyst carrier. It has also been shown that g-C3N4/GP(Fe) exhibited enhanced visible-light sensitive and reduced charge recombination by interfacial charge transfer effect between g-C3N4 and Fe(III) species. The samples were also 3D printed. To improve the MB removal efficiency, a pore former (K12) was added during the synthesis process to prepare porous g-C3N4/GP(Fe) samples. The results shows that the porous samples had a good ability to remove MB. Within 60 min, the MB removal efficiency of 3D-g-C3N4/GP(Fe)+K12 sample was 89.69 %. Overall, this work can provide a new opportunity to develop efficient materials for treating organic pollutants in wastewater.