AgI Nanoparticles Evenly Dispersed on 2D Porous Bi5O7I Sheets: Simple Synthesis and Excellent Photocatalytic Performance

Abstract A series of Bi 5 O 7 I/AgI composites were successfully prepared by the co‐precipitation method. Their feature and chemical structure were well characterized. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light. Experimental results indicated that the sizes of AgI exhibited obviously decrease through dispersing on the surface of Bi 5 O 7 I, and the as‐prepared Bi 5 O 7 I/AgI composites revealed better photocatalytic activities for the degradation of RhB than separate Bi 5 O 7 I and AgI. When the mass rate of Bi 5 O 7 I in Bi 5 O 7 I/AgI composites was 40%, the as‐prepared Bi 5 O 7 I/AgI (40 wt%) composites exhibited the optimum photocatalytic activity for degrading RhB, which was approximately 13 and 2.7 times higher than pure Bi 5 O 7 I and AgI, respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic performance could be attributed to complementary potentials of conduction band and valence band of Bi 5 O 7 I and AgI, which promoted the separation of the photogenerated electrons and holes. Finally, the possible mechanism for the photodegradation reaction over Bi 5 O 7 I/AgI composites was proposed.