A novel Ag/g-C₃N₄/kaolinite composite photocatalyst was fabricated for the first time through a two-step assembly strategy by employing in situ calcination and a photodeposition process. The synthesized Ag/g-C₃N₄/kaolinite composite reached a higher degradation rate of ibuprofen (IBP) with a reaction rate constant of 0.0113 min⁻¹ at an Ag content of 7% under visible-light irradiation, which was approximately 1.87 times that of the Ag/g-C₃N₄ composite. Based on the physicochemical properties, the enhanced photocatalytic activity was attributed to the stronger adsorption property, wider photoresponse range and more efficient separation and transfer of electron-hole pairs. Furthermore, the incorporation of monodispersed Ag nanoparticles onto the g-C₃N₄/kaolinite sheets provided more reactive sites for the IBP degradation. In addition, according to the EPR study and trapping experiments, it was demonstrated that holes (h⁺) should be the key reactive species. A possible pathway of IBP degradation was also proposed based on the detected intermediates. Overall, the results of this work may facilitate the design of a novel visible-light-driven photocatalyst with a high efficiency that is derived from a natural mineral for environmental remediation.

通过两步组装策略，采用原位煅烧和光沉积工艺，首次制备了新型的Ag / gC ₃ N ₄ /高岭土复合光催化剂。 在可见光照射下，Ag含量为7％时，合成的Ag / gC ₃ N ₄ /高岭土复合材料的布洛芬（IBP）降解速率较高，反应速率常数为0.0113 min ^-1。的Ag / gC ₃ N ₄综合。基于理化性质，增强的光催化活性归因于较强的吸附性能，较宽的光响应范围和更有效的电子-空穴对分离和转移。此外，将单分散的银纳米颗粒结合到gC ₃ N ₄ /高岭石片上为IBP降解提供了更多的反应位点。另外，根据EPR研究和诱捕实验，证明了孔（h ⁺）应该是关键的反应物种。还基于检测到的中间体提出了IBP降解的可能途径。总体而言，这项工作的结果可能有助于设计一种新型的可见光驱动的光催化剂，该催化剂由天然矿物衍生而来，用于环境修复。