Interfacial Synergy in Ag-Doped CuO-AgCl-g-C3N4 Composites for Efficient Charge Separation and Low-power Methylene Blue Degradation

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Main Authors: Baral, Suresh Chandra, Saint, Uttama Kumar, Sasmal, Dilip, Lenka, Sradhanjali, Kalkal, Ashish, Mekki, A., Pitchaimuthu, Sudhagar, Sen, Somaditya
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Baral, Suresh Chandra
Saint, Uttama Kumar
Sasmal, Dilip
Lenka, Sradhanjali
Kalkal, Ashish
Mekki, A.
Pitchaimuthu, Sudhagar
Sen, Somaditya
author_facet Baral, Suresh Chandra
Saint, Uttama Kumar
Sasmal, Dilip
Lenka, Sradhanjali
Kalkal, Ashish
Mekki, A.
Pitchaimuthu, Sudhagar
Sen, Somaditya
contents An Ag-doped CuO-AgCl-g-C3N4 heterostructure has been designed to achieve rapid Methylene Blue (MB) degradation through a synergistic photo-Fenton mechanism driven by low-power UV illumination. The composite integrates narrow-bandgap CuO, plasmonic Ag/AgCl, and visible-responsive g-C3N4 into a dual Z-scheme configuration that promotes efficient interfacial charge transfer while preserving strong redox potentials. Diffuse reflectance UV-Vis spectra ascertained the bandgap positions of the composite corresponding to those of its constituents: 2.9 eV (g-C3N4) and 1.42 eV (Ag-doped CuO-AgCl), indicating enhanced absorption and efficient charge carrier generation. BET analysis confirmed the presence of mesoporosity and revealed an effective surface area, ensuring the availability of abundant adsorption and reaction sites. A commercial 11 W UV irradiation was used for the photocatalytic test. Almost complete degradation of MB occurred within 10 min, following pseudo-first-order kinetics with a high apparent rate constant of 0.45/min. The remarkable activity arises from the synergistic interplay of Fenton-like redox cycling and efficient photoinduced charge carrier generation and separation. In addition, it has been demonstrated that intentionally incorporated AgCl plays an active role as a plasmonic-semiconducting interface, strengthening charge separation and catalyst stability under neutral conditions, rather than acting as a passive chloride byproduct. Overall, by linking defect engineering, heterojunction design, and photo-Fenton synergy, this study establishes a low-power, catalytic platform offering a viable pathway towards sustainable dye wastewater remediation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_04825
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Interfacial Synergy in Ag-Doped CuO-AgCl-g-C3N4 Composites for Efficient Charge Separation and Low-power Methylene Blue Degradation
Baral, Suresh Chandra
Saint, Uttama Kumar
Sasmal, Dilip
Lenka, Sradhanjali
Kalkal, Ashish
Mekki, A.
Pitchaimuthu, Sudhagar
Sen, Somaditya
Materials Science
An Ag-doped CuO-AgCl-g-C3N4 heterostructure has been designed to achieve rapid Methylene Blue (MB) degradation through a synergistic photo-Fenton mechanism driven by low-power UV illumination. The composite integrates narrow-bandgap CuO, plasmonic Ag/AgCl, and visible-responsive g-C3N4 into a dual Z-scheme configuration that promotes efficient interfacial charge transfer while preserving strong redox potentials. Diffuse reflectance UV-Vis spectra ascertained the bandgap positions of the composite corresponding to those of its constituents: 2.9 eV (g-C3N4) and 1.42 eV (Ag-doped CuO-AgCl), indicating enhanced absorption and efficient charge carrier generation. BET analysis confirmed the presence of mesoporosity and revealed an effective surface area, ensuring the availability of abundant adsorption and reaction sites. A commercial 11 W UV irradiation was used for the photocatalytic test. Almost complete degradation of MB occurred within 10 min, following pseudo-first-order kinetics with a high apparent rate constant of 0.45/min. The remarkable activity arises from the synergistic interplay of Fenton-like redox cycling and efficient photoinduced charge carrier generation and separation. In addition, it has been demonstrated that intentionally incorporated AgCl plays an active role as a plasmonic-semiconducting interface, strengthening charge separation and catalyst stability under neutral conditions, rather than acting as a passive chloride byproduct. Overall, by linking defect engineering, heterojunction design, and photo-Fenton synergy, this study establishes a low-power, catalytic platform offering a viable pathway towards sustainable dye wastewater remediation.
title Interfacial Synergy in Ag-Doped CuO-AgCl-g-C3N4 Composites for Efficient Charge Separation and Low-power Methylene Blue Degradation
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.04825