Room-temperature synthesis of BiOI with tailorable (001) facets and enhanced photocatalytic activity.
The photocatalytic activity of bismuth oxyhalides largely depends on their morphologies and microstructures. In this work, hierarchically structured bismuth oxyiodide (BiOI) with tunable ratios of (110) and (001) facets are fabricated through a facile route combining solid-state reaction with subsequent hydrolysis at room temperature. The hierarchical structures endow BiOI with excellent visible-light photocatalytic performance for phenol degradation. Besides, the optimal ratio of (001) and (110) surfaces also plays an important role in enhancing the photocatalytic activity of BiOI. DFT calculation demonstrates that a surface heterojunction formed between (001) and (110) surfaces can improve the separation of electrons and holes on different surfaces and thus enhance the photocatalytic activity.
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, PR China; Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Applied Environmental Photocatalysis, Changsha University, Changsha 410022, PR China.
Rongan
R
He
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, PR China.
Jinfeng
J
Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, PR China; Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: jiaguoyu@yahoo.com.
Jiaguo
J
Yu
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, PR China. Electronic address: swcao@whut.edu.cn.
Shaowen
S
Cao
Bismuth oxyiodide; Hierarchical structure; Photocatalysis; Room-temperature synthesis; Surface heterojunction