Dye‐Sensitization‐Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of BiOCl/Sulfur Quantum Dot Heterojunction under Visible‐Light Irradiation

Abstract

Herein, we report a novel narrow band gap sulfur quantum dots (SQDs)-modified BiOCl heterojunction (BOC/SQDs) for the photo-degradation of hazardous organic pollutants via rhodamine B (RhB)-sensitization. Such a high photocatalytic activity of RhB-sensitized BOC/SQDs heterojunction derives not only from the improved visible-light response capacity, high surface area/pore volume, suitable band structure for efficient electron transfer, but also from the surge of the number of electrons via RhB-sensitization for reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.Superoxide radicals ( * O 2 À ), holes (h + ), and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) play the important roles in the photo-degradation. A possible mechanism for RhB-sensitization enhanced degradation performance for treating organic pollutants by BOC/SQDs is proposed. The combination of dye-sensitization with BOC/ SQDs heterojunction can explore a greener, energy saving, and efficient photo-induced nanoplatform for treating organic pollutants in aqueous media.