Constructing multiple active sites of Bi2WO6 for efficient photocatalytic NO removal and NO2 inhibition

Abstract

Insufficient photocatalytic NOx oxidation capacity will lead to excessive toxic by-products (NO2), which still seriously restrict its practical application. Herein, the multiple active sites (Cl, Bi0 and OVs) modified Bi2WO6 has been established by in-situ synthesis method. The synergistic effect of multiple active sites greatly increased the photo-electric properties of the Bi2WO6, resulting in the boosting photocatalytic NOx deep oxidation to nitrate. The visible light driven OVs-Bi@BWO-Cl catalyst exhibited a highest NO conversion efficiency (67.3 %) with extremely low NO2 concentration (17.9 ppb). The synergism of structural regulation from the OVs with Cl-doping and surface plasmon resonance of Bi0 significantly enhanced light absorption and provided a fast charge transport channel, improving the separation efficiency of photo-generated carriers. The in-situ DRIFTS and density functional theory (DFT) results shown that the synergistic effect by multiple active sites could enhance the adsorption and activation of reactants to accelerate the processes of H2O/O2-to-ROS and decrease the energy barrier of NO removal to promote deep oxidation of NO-to-NO3−. This work can provide ideas for the design and preparation of the catalyst for safe photocatalytic environment purification.