Preparation of Bi/Bi2MoO6 Plasmonic Photocatalyst with High Photocatalytic Activity Under Visible Light Irradiation

Bi metal deposited on Bi 2 MoO 6 composite photocatalysts have been successfully synthesized via a simple reduction method at room temperature with using NaBH 4 as the reducing agent. The photocatalytic activity of the composite was evaluated by degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and bisphenol A (BPA) solution under visible light. The rate constant of Bi/Bi 2 MoO 6 composite to RhB is 10.8 times that of Bi 2 MoO 6 , and the degradation rate constant of BPA is 6.9 times of that of Bi 2 MoO 6 . Nitrogen absorption–desorption isotherm proved that the increase of specific surface area is one of the reasons for the improvement of photocatalytic degradation activity of Bi/Bi 2 MoO 6 composites. The higher charge transfer efficiency of Bi/Bi 2 MoO 6 is found through the characterization of the photocurrent and impedance, which are attributed to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect produced by the introduction of the metal Bi monomer in the composite. Free radical capture experiments proved that cavitation is the main active species. Based on the above conclusions, a possible mechanism of photocatalytic degradation is proposed.