Assembling n-Bi₂MoO₆ Nanosheets on Electrospun p-CuAl₂O₄ Hollow Nanofibers: Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity Based on Highly Efficient Charge Separation and Transfer

Abstract

Rational construction of heterostructures (especially p-n heterostructures) is an excellent strategy for efficient charge separation and desirable photocatalytic performance. Regretfully, the measurements of charge separation efficiency of p-n heterojunction are often monotonous. In this paper, a well-designed p-CuAl 2 O 4 /n-Bi 2 MoO 6 heterojunction was successfully synthesized by assembling Bi 2 MoO 6 nanosheets (NSs) on the electrospun CuAl 2 O 4 hollow nanofibers (HNFs) through a solvothermal method. The Bi 2 MoO 6 NSs tightly connect with CuAl 2 O 4 HNFs via strong chemical bonding, and the loading amount can be easily controlled by the concentration of precursor. Significantly, for the first time the charge separation efficiency of the heterojunction is systematically investigated via its photoelectrochemical responses under visible light irradiation with and without trapping agents, and the highly efficient charge separation and transfer of the heterojunction is tightly confirmed. Photocatalytic experiments show that the highly efficient charge separation and transfer of the heterojunction results in the enhanced photocatalytic performance for degrading all pollutant models (Rhodamine B, Methyl Orange, Cr(VI), and 4-nitrophenol), whose reaction rate is 1 order of magnitude higher than the reference samples. The work may be useful for rational constructing p-n heterojunctions and provide novel insights to investigate the photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performance.

Enhanced Full-Spectrum-Response Photocatalysis and Reusability of MoSe2 via Hierarchical N-Doped Carbon Nanofibers as Heterostructural Supports

“…The charge separation efficiency could be calculated to be 25%, 75.9%, and 97.3% for pure MoSe 2 , CNF/MoSe 2 , and H−N− CNF/MoSe 2 heterojunctions, respectively. 42 Similar results could be observed when ammonium oxalate (AO) is also employed as the scavenger in Figure S9.…”

“…Meanwhile, the corresponding response enhancement of the CNF/MoSe 2 heterojunctions is small, and there is almost no clear enhancement of H–N–CNFs/MoSe 2 heterojunctions. The charge separation efficiency could be calculated to be 25%, 75.9%, and 97.3% for pure MoSe 2 , CNF/MoSe 2 , and H–N–CNF/MoSe 2 heterojunctions, respectively . Similar results could be observed when ammonium oxalate (AO) is also employed as the scavenger in Figure S9.…”

Ultrathin Two‐Dimensional Semiconductors for Photocatalysis in Energy and Environment Applications

“…Since the Frank discovered that photocatalytic reaction can oxide CN − to OCN − , photocatalytic technology in the environmental‐protection application has received wide attention of researchers at home and abroad . Profiting from the unique advantages of ultrathin 2D semiconductors, such as a large space for light absorption and photocatalytic reaction and the ultrathin thickness facilitates the rapid transfer of photogenerated carriers to the surface or interface, the 2D semiconductors show great prospect for photodegradation organics . For example, Wang and co‐workers successfully synthesized freestanding monolayer Bi 2 WO 6 with a sandwich substructure of [BiO] + ‐[WO 4 ] 2 ‐[BiO] + by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) assistance (Figure ).…”

Modulation of Bi2MoO6‐Based Materials for Photocatalytic Water Splitting and Environmental Application: a Critical Review

“…Such a structure efficiently endowed the two parts of Ag 2 O/Bi 2 MoO 6 p–n junction with strong reduction and oxidation power, respectively. Analogously, Zhang et al synthesized nano‐p–n junction by assembling n‐type semiconductor Bi 2 MoO 6 nanosheets (NSs) on the surfaces of p‐type electrospun CuAl 2 O 4 hollow nanofibers (HNFs) . They connected with each other tightly via strong chemical bonding.…”