Bi3O4Br/Ti3C2 Schottky junction with enhanced active species generation for boosting visible-light photodegradation bisphenol A activity

Enhanced photocatalytic active species generation is an important strategy for tuning its visible-light photocatalytic activity, which is highly related to the separation and transfer of photogenerated charge carriers. In this study, we successfully prepared a novel Bi3O4Br/Ti3C2 two-dimensional/two-dimensional (2D/2D) Schottky junction with special interfacial charge transfer channel via in-situ growth of Bi3O4Br on the surface of ultrathin Ti3C2. The relevant characterization results indicated that Bi3O4Br/Ti3C2 had a stable structure and tight interface binding, which shortened the distance of charge transfer, promoted the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and then enhanced the generation of active species. Therefore, the optimized photodegradation activity and TOC removal efficiency of Bi3O4Br/Ti3C2 on Bisphenol A (BPA) could reach 91.26% and 70.97% within 60 min visible-light irradiation, respectively. Furthermore, intermediate products and BPA degradation pathways were determined. This work provides a new protocol for the construction of 2D/2D heterojunction photocatalytic systems and regulating photocatalytic active species generation by electronic effective transporting.