Abstract
In this study, a N2-assisted thermal treatment method is proposed for in-situ formation of a series of oxygen vacancies (OVs)-rich Bi0/Bi-based photocatalysts, including OVs-(BiO)2CO3, Bi0/OVs-(BiO)2CO3, Bi0/OVs-(BiO)2CO3/β-Bi2O3, Bi0/OVs-β-Bi2O3, Bi0/OVs-β-Bi2O3/α-Bi2O3 and Bi0/α-Bi2O3. Mechanisms of in-situ formation of Bi0 nanoparticles and generation of OVs in Bi-based photocatalysts are clarified. Apart from their contribution to the effective separation of photogenerated charge carriers and enhancement of light absorption, the effects of Bi0 nanoparticles and OVs on selective photocatalytic oxidation of NO are also investigated. Among the synthesized Bi-based photocatalysts, Bi0/OVs-(BiO)2CO3 shows the best photocatalytic activity and stability for photo-oxidative removal of NO. The systematic study of photocatalytic mechanism demonstrated that the Ohmic contact between OVs-(BiO)2CO3 and Bi0 gradually promote the formation of •O2– and •OH species. It is found that •O2– plays an important role in the photocatalytic NO removal process, while •OH species can effectively inhibit the formation of NO2 during the NO removal process. The new approach demonstrated in this study can be applied for the in-situ formation of wide-solar-spectrum-responsive photocatalysts with efficient photocatalytic activity.
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