Facile Formation of Bi2O2CO3/Bi2MoO6 Nanosheets for Visible Light Driven Photocatalysis
Bi2O2CO3/Bi2MoO6 heterojunction catalysts were prepared by treating Bi2MoO6 sheets with aqueous NaHCO3 solutions at room temperature. All the Bi2O2CO3/Bi2MoO6 heterojunctions exhibited higher activities than pristine Bi2MoO6 in the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) methyl orange, and ciprofloxacin under visible light irradiation, and the most active photocatalyst was found to be the one with a C/Bi molar ratio of ~1/2.3. Relevant samples were characterized by X ray diffraction, X ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption desorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and UV vis spectroscopy. The higher activity of Bi2O2CO3/Bi2MoO6 than pristine Bi2MoO6 is explained by the enhanced separation and transfer of photogenerated electron/hole pairs, as verified by transient photocurrent densities, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Photogenerated holes (h+ and superoxide radical anions *O2 were found to be the main active species. The good reusability of Bi2O2CO3/Bi2MoO6 was testified by cycling degradation of RhB and tetracycline hydrochloride.
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