In situ growth of 2D/3D Bi2MoO6/CeO2 heterostructures toward enhanced photodegradation and Cr(VI) reduction

The construction of semiconductor-based photocatalysts has attracted more and more attention due to their great potential for the utilization of solar light. In our work, a heterostructure by in situ integration of bismuth molybdate nanosheets and ceria microspheres (Bi2MoO6/CeO2) was successfully fabricated and used for effective photocatalytic degradation of pollutants and Cr(VI) reduction. The chemical compositions, microstructures, and optical properties of obtained nanocomposites were investigated by various characterization. The optimized Bi2MoO6/CeO2 showed more superior degradation rate for RhB and tetracycline than the most Bi2MoO6-based photocatalysts previously reported, and exhibited superb removal rates of 98.4% for Cr(VI) reduction within 90 min, which was much higher than those of pristine Bi2MoO6 and CeO2. A typical type–II photocatalytic mechanism was put forward by considering active species capture experiments, EPR, and XPS analysis, which was beneficial to adjust the bandgap structure and accelerate charge separation. This present work manifests that Bi2MoO6/CeO2 nanocomposites with excellent photocatalytic properties have a vast application prospect in wastewater remediation.