Ag2CO3 Decorating BiOCOOH Microspheres with Enhanced Full-Spectrum Photocatalytic Activity for the Degradation of Toxic Pollutants

Abstract

The development of excellent full-spectrum photocatalysts is of vital significance to its practical application in environmental remediation. Herein, flower-like Ag2CO3/BiOCOOH type I heterostructures were prepared via a facile method and exhibited powerful photocatalytic activity by removing various toxic pollutants (rhodamine B, methyl blue, and tetracycline hydrochloride) under simulated sunlight irradiation. The boosted photocatalytic performance is attributed to the expanded range of the absorption spectrum and alleviated separation rate of the photo-induced electrons and holes. The photoluminescence spectra and trapping experiment were applied to clarify the photocatalytic reaction mechanism of Ag2CO3/BiOCOOH. The holes and •O2− were detected as the dominant reactive species involved in pollutant degradation. This work provides a novel full-spectrum-driven photocatalyst of Ag2CO3/BiOCOOH, which could effectively degrade toxic pollutants under simulated sunlight.

BiOCOOH Microflowers Decorated with Ag/Ag2CrO4 Nanoparticles as Highly Efficient Photocatalyst for the Treatment of Toxic Wastewater

“…And n equals to 4 for BiOCOOH and Ag 2 CrO 4 . Accordingly, the Eg of Ag 2 CrO 4 and BiOCOOH can be determined to be 3.7 [26,31] and 1.8 eV [35,39] from the plot of (αhν) 1/2 versus hν. Further, the band edge positions, namely conduction band (CB) and valence band (VB), of BiOCOOH and Ag 2 CrO 4 are estimated by using the empirical equations of E VB = X − E 0 + 0.5E g and E CB = E VB − E g , consequently, the CB and VB potentials (E CB ) of BiOCOOH are −0.67 and 2.73 eV (versus NHE), respectively, while those of Ag 2 CrO 4 are 0.47 and 2.27 eV (versus NHE), respectively.…”

“…In particular, BiOCOOH has stimulated tremendous interest in wastewater treatment because of its unique layer structure, low cost, high catalytic activity and chemical stability [25][26][27][28]. Nevertheless, the photocatalytic activity of pure BiOCOOH is typically quite low and primarily restrained by the inadequate sunlight absorption owing to its large band gap (Eg =~3.7 eV), and the rapid charge recombination [25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. With the aim to reinforce the photocatalytic performance, a promising strategy is combining BiOCOOH with a proper semiconductor, carbon materials and/or metals to develop a multi-component heterojunction.…”

“…As a result, various BiOCOOH-based binary heterojunctions (e.g., BiOCOOH/C [27], BiOCOOH/BiOCl [29], and BiOCOOH/C 3 N 4 [28]), have been prepared and they all displayed better photocatalytic property compared to BiOCOOH. Recently, we have also constructed BiOCOOH/BiOBr [30], and Ag 2 CO 3 /BiOCOOH [31], and these heterojunctions exhibited enhanced photocatalytic behaviors. It should be noted that these BiOCOOH-based binary heterojunctions The elemental constituents and valence states of Ag/Ag2CrO4/BiOCOOH were investigated using the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) ( Figure 2).…”

Alleviating Climate Change and Pollution with Nanomaterials

“…Nanomaterials that can efficiently use carbon dioxide from the air, capture toxic pollutants from water and degrade solid waste into useful products, are being developed. In line with this theme, seven representative articles [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] have been published in this Special Issue:…”

“…This study led to the development of a high-efficiency electrochemical sensor for environmental analysis, with improved qualities, such as simplicity of electrode preparation, wide linear range, low detection limit, high selectivity, rapid regeneration, and long-term stability. As reported by Li et al [4], Ag 2 CO 3 nanoparticles interspersed-BiOCOOH heterojunction photocatalytsts were prepared by a facile procedure. In comparison with pure Ag 2 CO 3 and BiOCOOH, Ag 2 CO 3 /BiOCOOH exhibited superior photocatalytic activity for the degradation of toxic pollutants under simulated sunlight.…”