| The xFe2O3/yBiOCl composites (xFe/yBi, x/y= 0/100,5/100,10/100,20/100, 30/100,40/100 molar ratios) are, for the first time, prepared through an in situ hydrolysis method under hydrothermal conditions. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and UV-vis diffused reflectance spectra (UV-DRS). The photodegradation performances of the xFe/yBi samples are mainly investigated using the mixture wastewater containing both rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl orange (MO) as the simulated industry wastewater. It is found that the uniform Fe2O3 nanocubes are well distributed on the BiOCl nanosheets. Moreover, the xFe/yBi photocatalysts exhibit the unexpectedly higher efficiencies than the bare BiOCl or Fe2O3 under ultraviolet light irradiation (λ≤420 nm). Specifically, the degradation rates of the xFe/yBi samples at x/y= 5/100 and 10/100 are 4 times higher than that of the bare BiOCl for MO-RhB mixture dyes. Their high photocatalytic activities are mainly attributed to the formation of stable p-n heterojunctions between the Fe2O3 and the BiOCl, which has greatly improved the separation of photogenerated carriers. Importantly, the highly efficient, inexpensive xFe/yBi p/n heterojunctions are expected to be applied in practical industry wastewater that containing complicated toxic components. |
PDF Full Text Request