Efficient Visible Light Formaldehyde Oxidation with 2D p-n Heterostructure of BiOBr/BiPO4 Nanosheets at Room Temperature

We produce the p-n heterostructure of BiOBr/BiPO4 sheets with retained two-dimensional (2D) morphology through a simple solvothermal process. Comparatively, the BiOBr/BiPO4 sheets present enhanced photocatalytic performance of formaldehyde oxidation due to effective separation and migration of the photoinduced electron–hole pairs. Notably, the increasing number of grown BiPO4 particles on the surface of BiOBr sheets without isolated homogeneous BiPO4 particles are significant factors in the promotion of photocatalytic performance. Hence, the BiOBr/BiPO4 composite sheets with loading of 30% BiPO4 exhibit superior photocatalytic performance. This outstanding performance suggests that the p-n heterostructure of BiOBr/BiPO4 sheets has potential in purification of gaseous pollutants.