Fabrication of rGO-Bridged TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ Z-Scheme Nanocomposites via Pulsed Laser Ablation for Efficient Photocatalytic CO₂ Reduction

Highly efficient photocatalysts can be fabricated using favorable charge transfer nanocomposite channel structures. This study adopted pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) to obtain rGO-bridged TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ (rGO−TiO₂/g-C₃N₄) photocatalytic Z-scheme without the need for noble metals. In addition to evaluating the resulting nanocomposite (comprising rGO nanosheets, TiO₂ nanotubes, and g-C₃N₄ nanosheets) CO₂ reduction effectiveness, its chemical, morphological, structural, and optical characteristics were examined using various analytical techniques. The findings revealed a synergistic interaction between g-C₃N₄ and TiO₂, suggesting the presence of unique interfacial bonding, as well as enhanced visible light absorption. Notably, the ternary rGO−TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ Z-scheme exhibits an excellent photocatalytic performance by photocatalytically converting CO₂ into CO and CH₄, with 81 % selectivity towards the CO and 1.91 % apparent quantum efficiency at 420 nm. Thus, the findings can pave the way for various Z-scheme systems in wide photocatalytic applications.