Abstract
In this study, we report the synthesis of a 3-dimensional (3D) hierarchical Bi3O4Cl/Bi5O7I (BOC/BOI) heterostructure for the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine-B (RhB) dye and colorless Bisphenol-A (BPA) pollutant under visible light. The heterostructure was prepared using in situ solvothermal and calcination methods. BOC/BOI exhibits a 3D hierarchical structure constructed with thin nano-platelets. The photocatalytic performance of the BOC/BOI photocatalyst demonstrated that the degradation efficiencies of RhB and BPA were 97% and 92% after light illumination within 90 and 30 min, respectively. In comparison, bare BOC and BOI efficiencies were only 20% and 10% for RhB dye, respectively, and 2.3% and 37% for BPA aqueous pollutants, respectively. Moreover, radical trapping measurements indicated that •O2− and •OH radicals played prominent roles in RhB and BPA degradation into mineralization. Analysis of band structures and photochemical redox reactions of BOC/BOI revealed a Z-scheme charge transfer between BOC and BOI by an internal electric field formed at the interface. Therefore, the highly improved photocatalytic performance of the BOC/BOI heterostructure is attributed to the synergetic effects of large surface area, high visible-light absorption, and the enhanced separation and transport of photo-excited electron–hole pairs induced by the hierarchical and Z-scheme heterojunction of the BOC/BOI.
Highlights
As water pollutants have become an increasingly severe threat to life in this industrialized society, removing hazardous pollutants is currently a major social challenge
The characteristic peaks of Bi3 O4 Cl (BOC) and Bi5 O7 I (BOI) were found to co-exist in the X-ray powder diffractometer (XRD) patterns of BOC/BOI-3 samples
The XRD pattern of BOC exhibited a broad peak at 29.64◦, which confirmed the growth of BOC in the (411) plan
Summary
As water pollutants have become an increasingly severe threat to life in this industrialized society, removing hazardous pollutants is currently a major social challenge. The pollutants mostly included in water are hazardous organic dyes and phenolic compounds. Rhodamine-B (RhB) is a common water-soluble organic dye used widely in various industry fields. Since it is classified as carcinogenic and neurotoxic, it poses health risks to humans [1]. Adsorption through microbial treatment and chemical redox reaction has been used to remove these pollutants. These approaches have some limitations, due to low efficiency, high cost, and incomplete removal of contaminants [5]. The effective elimination of these hazardous organic pollutants from wastewater remains a challenge
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