Constructing CuBi2O4/Ag3PO4 Photocatalyst with Improved Photocatalytic Performance for the Degradation of Tetracycline under Visible‐Light Irradiation

Abstract Constructing highly efficient heterojunction photocatalyst is vital but difficult for solving the environmental crises. The CuBi 2 O 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 photocatalyst has been synthesized by hydrothermal and solution precipitating method. The fabricated CuBi 2 O 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 composite exhibits improved property for the degradation of tetracycline (TC) and nearly 80 % of TC (50 mg/L) is degraded within 30 min, especially its rate constant (k=0.04366 min −1 ) is about 13.48 and 1.63 times higher than those of pure CuBi 2 O 4 (0.003240 min −1 ) and Ag 3 PO 4 (0.02676 min −1 ). The excellent photocatalytic performance was attributed to the heterojunction interfaces and the effective separation of the photo‐generated carriers driven by the reasonable energy band alignment in the heterostructure. The CuBi 2 O 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 composite displays good stability, and the present of different inorganic ions has rather small effect on the degradation of TC. A possible photocatalytic mechanism of CuBi 2 O 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 composite is proposed based on the active species trapping experiment. It proves that the CuBi 2 O 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 composite has potential application in environmental remediation.