Developing photocatalysts with multidimensional conductive networks and synergistic interfaces is a promising strategy to suppress charge carrier recombination and enhance visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance. Herein, a Pt and carbon nanotube (CNT) co-modified tubular g-C3N4 photocatalyst (Pt/CNT@g-C3N4) was successfully fabricated via an electrostatic self-assembly strategy. The introduction of CNTs constructed efficient electron transport pathways, while highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles formed stable metal–semiconductor interfaces. Their synergistic coupling broadened visible-light absorption, narrowed the bandgap, and promoted the separation and migration of photogenerated charge carriers. At the optimal composition (2 wt% Pt and 1.5 wt% CNTs), Pt/CNT@g-C3N4 exhibited a Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation rate constant of 0.148 min⁻¹, which was approximately 10.8 times higher than that of pristine tubular g-C3N4, achieving 96% pollutant removal within 20 min under simulated visible-light irradiation. In addition, the catalyst retained over 83% of its initial photocatalytic activity after five consecutive cycles, indicating good stability and reusability. Radical trapping experiments combined with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements confirmed that ·O₂⁻ radicals were the dominant reactive species during the photocatalytic process. Moreover, the enhanced photocatalytic performance was mainly attributed to the efficient extraction and transfer of photogenerated electrons from g-C3N4 through two synergistic pathways mediated by Pt nanoparticles and CNTs, which effectively suppressed electron–hole recombination. This work reveals the synergistic enhancement mechanism of Pt and CNTs in tubular g-C3N4 systems and provides a rational strategy for designing efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysts for environmental purification.
Junkai Wang, Jinsheng Kang, Zhenxia Huang and Jingyi Xing
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