Abstract
An increase of carrier concentration is one of the most important routes for enhancing the catalytic performance of semiconductor photocatalysts. In this study, the Sillén–Aurivillius oxychloride Bi4NbO8Cl with hole doping was successfully prepared by a solid-state reaction method. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectra (UV–vis DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS) and photoluminescence spectra (PL) were used to characterize and analyze the prepared samples. The experimental results and density functional theory calculations demonstrate that hole doping can be formed in Bi4NbO8Cl by inserting zinc into the niobium site, and the photocatalytic activity can be improved by introducing additional holes into Bi4NbO8Cl. The photogenerated hole (h+) is considered to be the main active species to degrade trypan blue (TB) through trapping experiments. The optimal photocatalyst of Bi4Nb0.8Zn0.2O8Cl exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity in degradation of trypan blue under visible light irritation. Moreover, a possible photocatalytic degradation mechanism is discussed according the experimental and analytical results.
Highlights
Environmental pollution and energy shortages have become two main challenges for human beings
The morphologies of the samples were studied by Nova a Nano 450 (FEI, Hillsboro, OR, USA) field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was performed by an ESCALAB 250xi
2 8Cl momentum grid, Here, in this paper, we studied structures pure a and systems by performing first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT)
Summary
Environmental pollution and energy shortages have become two main challenges for human beings. In order to further improve the photocatalytic performance of Bi4 NbO8 Cl, many methods have been developed such as semiconductor recombination [11,12], deposition of noble metals [13,14], deposition of non-noble metals [15] and metal ions doping [16]. Among these methods, transition metal ions doping is considered to be one of the most promising, which can increase carrier concentration and improve the charge carrier transport [17]. As common dopants, doping of transition metals tungsten (W) and zinc (Zn) is considered to be an effective method to improve the photocatalytic activity of semiconductors [18,19]. The possible hole-doping mechanism of photocatalytic degradation of TB was discussed
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
