Fast preparation of oxygen vacancy-rich 2D/2D bismuth oxyhalides-reduced graphene oxide composite with improved visible-light photocatalytic properties by solvent-free grinding. (15th December 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hou, Jianhua; Zhang, Tingting; Jiang, Ting; Wu, Xiaoge; Zhang, Yongcai; Tahir, Muhammad; Hussain, Asif; Luo, Min; Zou, JiJun; Wang, Xiaozhi
• Is Part Of: Journal of cleaner production. Volume 328(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-12-15
• Subjects: BiOX -- Reduced graphene oxide -- Photocatalytic -- Solvent-free -- Grind; Factory and trade waste -- Management -- Periodicals; Manufactures -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Déchets industriels -- Gestion -- Périodiques; Usines -- Aspect de l'environnement -- Périodiques; 628.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129651
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-6526

Abstract

Abstract: Bismuth oxyhalides (BiOX, X = Cl, Br, I) exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity owing to their distinctive layered structures and suitable bandgaps. However, BiOX and its derived composites are usually fabricated via the liquid-phase strategy, which always produces waste liquid, thereby polluting the environment. Recently, BiOX/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) with two-dimensional/two-dimensional (2D/2D) heterostructures have been successfully prepared without using any solvent by one-pot mixing/grinding using chemicals such as bismuth nitrate pentahydrate, potassium halide, graphene oxide (GO), and BH4 K. The fabricated BiOX/RGO heterostructures were endowed with oxygen-rich vacancies and a very short fabrication time of 15 min. During the synthesis process, BiOX can grow in situ on the GO due to Bi 3+ ions; thus, BiOX could be adsorbed easily on the GO surface, with the negatively charged oxygen-containing functional group. Significantly, BH4 K not only reduces GO to RGO but also introduces a suitable concentration of oxygen vacancies (OVs) in BiOX, which can photo-induce the carrier separation efficiency and effectively improve visible-light absorption. BiOX/RGO with a 2D/2D heterojunction structure provided a higher specific surface area and a larger heterogeneous interface and transferred photogenerated electrons regularly. Owing to the dual synergistic effects of the aforementioned features, BiOX/RGO can produce more active substances (h +, OH, and O 2− ) for the photodegradation of organic pollutants. The results showed that the photocatalytic performance of BiOCl/RGO, BiOBr/RGO, and BiOI/RGO was significantly improved as the degradation rate of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible-light irradiation was 6, 3, and 2 times higher than that of pure BiOCl, BiOBr, and BiOI, respectively. Furthermore, BiOX/RGO displayed a similar enhanced photocatalytic effect on tetracycline degradation. Therefore, this work provides a versatile, green, and fast method to synthesize BiOX/RGO composites for the photodegradation of different organic pollutants. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: In-situ growth of BiOX on graphene oxide was achieved by grinding within 15 min. Oxygen vacancy-rich BiOX in 2D/2D structure was obtain using BH4 K. Heterostructure and oxygen vacancy synergistically improved electron-holes separation. BiOX/RGO exhibited high photocatalytic activity for dye and non-dye contaminants.