Effect of ultrasound-induced hydroxylation and exfoliation on P90–TiO2/g-C3N4 hybrids with enhanced optoelectronic properties for visible-light photocatalysis and electrochemical sensing

Abstract Herein, we report the cost-effective synthesis of P90–TiO2/g-C3N4 hybrid nanocomposite with enhanced optical and electrochemical properties through the surface disorder modifications for photocatalysis and electrochemical sensors. Ultrasound irradiation (37 kHz/150 W) was employed for the hydroxylation on P90–TiO2 and exfoliation of g-C3N4 (CN), using a probe sonication technique. Several analytical and spectroscopic techniques were applied to investigate the physicochemical and optical properties of the prepared materials. The Sunset Yellow FCF (SSY) and phenol (PhOH) were used as hazardous organic pollutants to evaluate the photocatalytic activities. Under simulated solar irradiation, the 40wt% UL-P90/CN photocatalyst exhibited 98.8%, and 99.35% degradations of SSY and PhOH within 5 min and 120 min, respectively. In addition, the photogenerated charge separation and an interfacial charge transferability were confirmed by photoelectrochemical measurements. Additionally, the electrochemical detection of SSY in the presence of 40wt% UL-P90/CN resulted in excellent sensitivity (1.029 μAμM−1cm−2), a broad linear range of detection (0.01–319 μM), and relatively low detection limit (4 nM). Therefore, the as-prepared 40wt% UL-P90/CN nanocomposite can be used as an efficient catalyst material for photocatalysis and sensor applications.