title: Design of a direct Z-scheme photocatalyst: preparation and characterization of Bi₂O₃/g-C₃N₄ with high visible light activity.
abstract: A direct Z-scheme photocatalyst Bi2O3/g-C3N4 was prepared by ball milling and heat treatment methods. The photocatalyst was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas, photoluminescence technique (PL), and electron spin resonance (ESR) technology. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by degradation of methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB). The results showed that Bi2O3/g-C3N4 exhibited a much higher photocatalytic activity than pure g-C3N4 under visible light illumination. The rate constants of MB and RhB degradation for Bi2O3(1.0wt.%)/g-C3N4 are about 3.4 and 5 times that of pure g-C3N4, respectively. The migration of photogenerated carriers adopts a Z-scheme mechanism. The photoexcited electrons in the CB of Bi2O3 and photogenerated holes in the VB of g-C3N4 are quickly combined, so the photoexcited electrons in the CB of g-C3N4 and holes in the VB of Bi2O3 participate in reduction and oxidation reactions, respectively. O2(-), OH and h(+) are the major reactive species for the Bi2O3/g-C3N4 photocatalytic system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Anhui Science and Technology University, Anhui, Fengyang 233100, People's Republic of China; Department of Chemistry, Huaibei Normal University, Anhui, Huaibei 235000, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jinfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Huaibei Normal University, Anhui, Huaibei 235000, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yingfei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Huaibei Normal University, Anhui, Huaibei 235000, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaoliang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Anhui Science and Technology University, Anhui, Fengyang 233100, People's Republic of China; Department of Chemistry, Huaibei Normal University, Anhui, Huaibei 235000, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: chshifu@chnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Shifu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Huaibei Normal University, Anhui, Huaibei 235000, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Sugang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Huaibei Normal University, Anhui, Huaibei 235000, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xianliang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fu
mesh_terms: D001729:Bismuth / Q000737:chemistry*; D008751:Methylene Blue; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010782:Photolysis; D012235:Rhodamines; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013499:Surface Properties; D018508:Water Purification; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D012235:Rhodamines; C033301:bismuth oxide; C029773:rhodamine B; D008751:Methylene Blue; D001729:Bismuth
keywords: Bi(2)O(3)/g-C(3)N(4); Characterization; Mechanism; Preparation; Z-scheme photocatalyst