Flower-like Bi2S3/Bi2MoO6 heterojunction superstructures with enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity

Abstract

A prerequisite for the development of photocatalytic technology is to obtain efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysts. Herein, we have reported a flower-like Bi₂S₃/Bi₂MoO₆ heterojunction as a novel and efficient visible-light-driven photocatalyst. The Bi₂S₃/Bi₂MoO₆ heterojunction has been prepared by a solvothermal method. It consists of flower-like superstructures with diameters ranging from 1 to 3 μm, which are built from Bi₂MoO₆ nanosheets with a thickness of about 15 nm decorated with Bi₂S₃ nanoparticles with diameters of ∼3.5 nm. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of the Bi₂S₃/Bi₂MoO₆ heterojunction has been evaluated through the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) dye and colorless parachlorophenol (4-CP) under visible-light irradiation (λ > 400 nm). The results demonstrate that the Bi₂S₃/Bi₂MoO₆ heterojunction exhibits higher photocatalytic activity in degrading RhB and 4-CP than single Bi₂S₃ or Bi₂MoO₆. More importantly, the photocatalytic activity of the Bi₂S₃/Bi₂MoO₆ heterojunction is superior to the sum of the activities of two individual photocatalysts (Bi₂MoO₆ and Bi₂S₃). The recycling experiment confirms that the Bi₂S₃/Bi₂MoO₆ heterojunction is essentially stable during the photocatalytic process. Therefore, the Bi₂S₃/Bi₂MoO₆ heterojunction can be used as an efficient and stable visible-light-driven photocatalyst for the purification of the environment.