Synthesis and enhanced photoreactivity of metallic Bi-decorated BiOBr composites with abundant oxygen vacancies

Herein, a simple one-pot solvothermal strategy was put forward to obtain metal Bi-decorated BiOBr composites (Bi/BiOBr) with abundant oxygen vacancies. The metal Bi (Bi0) can be deposited into the BiOBr surface via reduction of glycerol solvent in solvothermal process. Precipitation of Bi on surface of BiOBr turned the morphologies of BiOBr from regular flower-like hierarchical architectures to scattered sheets with increase of Bi content, enhanced photoabsorption of BiOBr in whole light region. Interestingly, deposition of metallic Bi (Bi0) on the BiOBr surface could lead to formation of abundant surface oxygen vacancies. As-synthesized Bi/BiOBr composites showed better photocatalytic activity for phenol degradation under sunlight irradiation, as compared with that of BiOBr reference. The enhancement of photocatalytic activities for Bi/BiOBr composites can be attributed to the existence of Bi/BiOBr hetero-structure and abundant oxygen vacancies (as active electron trap), which causing efficient separation of electron–hole pairs in Bi/BiOBr composites.