Columnar cactus-like 2D/1D BiOBr/BiVO4:Yb3+,Er3+ heterostructure photocatalyst with ultraviolet-visible-near infrared response for photocatalytic degrading dyes, endocrine disruptors and antibiotics

Abstract

An innovative strategy for the integration of the upconversion (UC) effect with a Z-scheme heterojunction is proposed to develop photocatalysts to achieve high carrier separation efficiency and efficient utilization of broadband solar spectra in this work. By the above strategy, novel and columnar cactus-like BiOBr/BiVO4:Yb3+,Er3+ heterostructured nanobelts with an efficient full-spectrum light response are synthesized by electrospinning combined with a solvothermal method and are composed of two-dimensional (2D) BiOBr nanosheets modified on the surface of one-dimensional (1D) BiVO4:Yb3+,Er3+ nanobelts. The optimized BiOBr/BiVO4:Yb3+,Er3+ heterostructured nanobelts exhibit superior photocatalytic activity for degrading 89.2 % tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH, 60 min), 89.8 % bisphenol A (BPA, 180 min) and 95.9 % methylene blue (MB, 120 min) under simulated sunlight irradiation as well as 72.3 % TCH, 24.6 % BPA and 69.7 % MB under 12 h near infrared (NIR) light irradiation. The excellent photocatalytic activity can be ascribed to the synergistic effect among the porous structure of nanobelts for producing a large number of surface active sites, broadening of spectral response range by the remarkable upconversion effect, unique 2D/1D contact interface for fast carrier transfer channel and built-in electric field induced by Z-scheme heterojunction as well as Yb3+/Yb2+ redox center for spatial separation of photogenerated carriers. In addition, the photocatalyst exhibits superior reusability and recycling stability in photocatalytic applications. This work not only puts forward the innovative idea of constructing an efficient broad-spectrum photocatalyst for water purification but also provides key technical guidance for the morphology control of high-efficiency photocatalysts.