Bi2O3@Carbon Nanocomposites for Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Degradation of Chlorophenols

Chlorophenols are corrosive and toxic in a water environment, which have caused increasing concerns and encourage the development of solar-driven techniques with highly efficient photocatalysts for green remediation. Coupling photocatalysis with the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect is a practical solution for boosting the utilization of solar light in the IR region while improving the overall performance of the photocatalysts. However, a facile and green strategy to synthesize metallic non-noble bismuth (Bi0)-based photocatalysts is still lacking. Herein, we report smart Bi/Bi2O3/C composites with high performance for the photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol. Advanced characterizations such as X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy are applied to analyze the morphology and structure of the prepared materials. The photodegradation rate of the hybrid is significantly enhanced compared with the sole counterparts, which are 1.60-fold of Bi2O3 and 2.47-fold of g-C3N4. The synthesized Bi/C-2 exhibits excellent stability without a decline in activity after four cycles. The SPR effect of Bi is identified to account for the strengthened photoreactivity. Moreover, the relatively high utilization efficiency of solar energy and the rapid separation rate of photogenerated electron and hole pairs helped to enhance the photocatalytic performance synergistically.