Preparation of CN/montmorillonite composite photocatalyst for effective removal of organic pollutants.

Due to the good photocatalytic performance, which ensures the decomposition of pollutants under light, gCN is considered as an ideal photocatalytic material. Montmorillonite has a high adsorption capacity and layered structure, which has positive effects on increasing the specific surface area of g-CN and avoid its polymerization agglomeration. In this paper, montmorillonite was used as carrier for g-CN to obtain a new photocatalytic composite g-CN/Mt. Then the morphological and (micro)structural properties were characterized. The well-characterized materials were evaluated for the photocatalytic activity in degradation of methylene blue and Bisphenol A. The effects of the mass fraction of g-CN, light irradiation time, and pollutant concentration on the photocatalytic performance of g-CN/Mt composites were studied. Under the optimal experimental plan, the rate of photocatalytic degradation can reach to 99.3% within 120 min. Through the MS spectrum, it can be found that methylene blue molecule were catalysed and degraded into many harmless substances with low-molecular weight. Finally, based on the obtained reaction products, the mechanism by which the pollutants are removed was proposed. This study provides a new strategy to improve the photocatalysis ability of g-CN, which is of great significance for a sustainable pollution treatment.