Enhanced photocatalytic performance through the ferroelectric synergistic effect of p-n heterojunction BiFeO3/TiO2 under visible-light irradiation

A BiFeO3/TiO2 p-n heterojunction photocatalyst with ferroelectric synergistic effect under visible-light irradiation was developed through facile hydrolysis and precipitation by forming nanospheres of TiO2 on BiFeO3 nanocube to improve the photocatalytic efficiency. Analyses of the microstructure, optical properties, and photoelectrochemical performance indicate the formation of a core–shell heterostructure of BiFeO3/TiO2 with excellent energy band matching. The BiFeO3/TiO2 p-n heterojunction has enlarged specific surface area, higher sensitivity to visible-light, and improved separation and transfer efficiency of photoelectron-hole pairs than single TiO2 and BiFeO3. Moreover, the composite exhibits superior photocatalytic degradation performance for methylene blue (MB) and common antibiotic tetracycline (TC) under UV and visible-light irradiation. The MB degradation rate within 180 min reaches 78.4% and 90.4% under UV and visible-light irradiation, respectively. Furthermore, the enhanced photocatalytic mechanism of BiFeO3/TiO2 is explored by photoluminescence (PL), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), transient photocurrent analysis, radical quenching, and band structure characterization.