Black Talc-Based TiO2/ZnO Composite for Enhanced UV-Vis Photocatalysis Performance

Herein, using black talc as a carrier, a ternary black talc-TiO₂/ZnO composite photocatalyst was prepared by the sol-gel method, and the effect of the black talc on the hetero-structure properties of the TiO₂ and ZnO was systematically studied. The prepared composite photocatalyst showed an excellent degradation performance of the pollutant, where black talc plays an important role in promoting the interface interaction by enhancing the contact area between the TiO₂ and ZnO. Moreover, the free carbon element doping in black talc favors the formation of more oxygen vacancies, thereby improving the response as a photocatalyst in visible light. In addition, the carbon in the black talc can also adsorb organic pollutants and enrich the surroundings of the photocatalyst with pollutants, so it further improves the catalytic efficiency of the photocatalyst. Under UV irradiation, the degradation rate of Rhodamine B on black talc-TiO₂/ZnO was found 3.3 times higher than that of black talc-TiO₂ with good stability.