Preparation and Properties of g-C3N4-TiO2 Cement-Based Materials Supported by Recycled Concrete Powder
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
This work used recycled concrete powder (RCP) as the carrier of g-C3N4-TiO2 to prepare g-C3N4-TiO2/RCP composites. It is found that the photocatalytic cement-based material has a similar degradation effect on the degradation of surface RhB as g-C3N4-TiO2/RCP in RhB solution. I suggest that it can be reassessed after major revisions.
1. Figure 3 should be merged into Figure 1.
2. The data in Figure 7c and 7a/e do not match. As shown in Figure 7a/e, nearly half of RhB has been degraded in 40 min, while the concentration of RhB barely changed in the cyclic experiment (Figure 7c).
3. The inset of Figure 7b is quite unclear.
4. In Figure 7d, the XRD peak pattern and peak strength of gT(20%)R before and after cyclic degradation experiment are basically the same without any change, which makes people suspicious.
5. Please explain what is the inset of Figure 8a.
6. Why are the samples tested for photocatalytic performance a mixture of 200 mg of gT(x)R(x=0,10%, 20%, 30%) and 60 mg of g-C3N4-TiO2, instead of gT(x)R alone.
7. It is more representative to test the photocatalytic degradation performance of concrete surface coated with gT(x)R composites (with certain humidity) directly, rather than grinding it into powder and testing it in aqueous solution.
8. It is necessary to measure the photoluminescence spectra of photocatalysts.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments for authors
Concerning our main remarks, corrections and suggestions about your work are:
1) The necessity of this study should be clearly explained in the manuscript. It should detail the current challenges and limitations in the field of photocatalytic materials and how the use of RCP as a carrier for g-C3N4-TiO2 addresses these issues. It should also explain the potential benefits of using RCP as a carrier and how it could lead to the development of more efficient and sustainable photocatalytic materials. Additionally, it should explain the significance of the results and the potential impact of this research on the field.
2) Are there any plans for further research or development on these composites?
3) The quality of figures can often be improved by ensuring that they are clear and easy to read, using appropriate colors and labels, and including a caption that explains the main point of the figure. Additionally, it is important to use high-resolution images and to format the figure so that it is easy to read on various devices and in different sizes
4) The authors should calculate the electronegativities for the TiO2 and g-C3N4, and then
calculated the CB and the VB of TiO2 and g-C3N4 respectively.
5) The photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4-TiO2/RCP for RhB degradation in the presence of different scavengers under visible light should be investigated.
6) The authors should have added the mechanism of degradation of RhB dye by g-C3N4-TiO2/RCP.
7) Manuscripts should refer to and cite as much as possible from the last five years. Some high-quality literatures about photocatalyst and sustainability of water in recent years can be referenced and cited, such as Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering 1-11 (2021) https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-022-06899-y ; Journal of Desalination and Water Treatment 194 (2020) 439-449.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Accept
Reviewer 2 Report
No comments.
