Abstract
The BiOI and (BiO)2CO3 nanoparticles were synthesized and mechanically coupled to obtain the BiOI/(BiO)2CO3 (BIBC) sample. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the BIBC sample confirmed the presence of tetragonal BiOI and (BiO)2CO3 crystals in the BIBC sample. The crystallite size of the BIBC sample was estimated at 31.1 nm 69.3 nm by the Scherrer and Williamson-Hall equations. Absorption edge wavelengths of 704, 382, and 672 nm were respectively obtained for BiOI, (BiO)2CO3, and BIBC samples based on UV-DRS results. FTIR spectra confirmed the change in absorption bands of Bi–O, Bi–C, CO, etc due to the coupling of the semiconductors. SEM images confirmed a small plate-like morphology of the bismuth subcarbonate. The photocatalytic activity of the BIBC sample towards sulfasalazine (SZ) was increased concerning the single systems. The samples were also analyzed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The photocatalytic activity of the BIBC sample was changed with the change in BiOI: (BiO)2CO3 mole ratio and it was the highest when this value was 2:1. The photodegradation process obeyed the Hinshelwood apparent first-order kinetics and a photodegradation rate constant of 0.038 min-1 with t1/2 = 18.24 min was obtained. Based on the COD results of the photodegraded SZ solutions, a rate constant of 0.042 min-1 with t1/2 = 16.5 min was achieved.
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