Photodegradation of seven bisphenol analogues by Bi5O7I/UiO-67 heterojunction: Relationship between the chemical structures and removal efficiency

Bisphenol analogues have been widely used and displayed adverse effects on human beings. Although many photocatalysts displayed remarkable performance in degrading bisphenol A (BPA) or bisphenol F (BPF), it is not clear if they may also efficiently decompose other bisphenol analogues. In this study, Bi5O7I with satisfactory photocatalytic activity was doped with metal-organic framework (UiO-67) to build up Bi5O7I/UiO-67 heterojunctions. The heterojunction enhanced the charge mobility and separation of the electron-hole pairs, which was conducive for improving the photocatalytic activity. Consequently, 4:1-Bi5O7I/UiO-67 realized highly effective degradation of seven bisphenol analogues in one hour. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations uncovered that the reaction rate constant k displayed a positive correlation with the Hirshfeld charge q (N) of tertiary butyl carbon attached with different substituent groups. This provides a prospective heterojunction catalyst to degrade a group of pollutants with similar structures, and sheds light on the structural relationship of degradation efficiency.