Designing efficient 2D-bismuth oxychloride
(BiOCl)/2D-g-C
3
N
4
heterojunction photocatalysts
by the microwave-assisted
method was studied in this work using different amounts of BiOCl plates
coupled with g-C
3
N
4
nanosheets. The effects
of coupling the 2D structure of g-C
3
N
4
with
the 2D structure of BiOCl were systematically examined by scanning
electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray
diffraction, photoluminescence (PL), lifetime decay measurement, surface
charges of the samples at various pH conditions, and UV–vis
diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS). The prepared
photocatalysts were used for the degradation of amine-based pharmaceuticals,
and nizatidine was used as a model pollutant to evaluate the photocatalytic
activity. The UV–vis DRS and other optical properties indicated
the major effect of coupling of BiOCl with g-C
3
N
4
into a 2D/2D structure. The results showed a narrowing in the band
gap energy of the composite form, whereas the PL and lifetime analysis
showed greater inhibition of the electron–hole recombination
process and slightly longer charge carrier lifetime. Accordingly,
the BiOCl/g-C
3
N
4
composite samples exhibited
an enhancement in the photocatalytic performance, specifically for
the 10% BiOCl/g-C
3
N
4
sample. Moreover, the zeta
potential of this sample at different pH values was evaluated to determine
the isoelectric point of the synthesized composite material. Consequently,
the pH was adjusted to match the isoelectric point of the complex
materials, which further enhanced the activity. Further degradation
of pharmaceuticals was studied under solar light irradiation, and
96% degradation was achieved within 30 min.