One-Pot Solvothermal Synthesis of Flower-Like S-Doped BiOCl for Enhanced Photocatalytic Property in Dye Degradation and Nitrogen Fixation

Nowadays, environmental pollution and energy shortage have aroused people's wide concern. Here we report that S-doped BiOCl photocatalyst was successfully fabricated via a simple solvothermal process. The as-obtained S-doped BiOCl photocatalysts were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), nitrogen adsorption-desorption, UV/Vis diffuse reflectance (DRS), and photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra. The photocatalytic performance of the S-doped BiOCl photocatalyst with different S contents was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of cationic dye (Rhodamine-B (RhB)) and anionic dye (Congo red (CR)). The results reveal that all the S-doped BiOCl samples possess better photocatalytic activity than pure BiOCl. Specifically, the degradation rate of S(6 %)-BiOCl sample for RhB and CR was 99 % and 90 %, respectively. Meanwhile, the photocatalytic nitrogen fixation performance of the S-doped BiOCl sample was investigated. The results show that the S(6 %)-BiOCl sample possesses an excellent NH3 yield of 108.6 mu mol g(-1) h(-1). Moreover, the S(6 %)-BiOCl catalysts have excellent recyclability and stability. This work provides a facile and accessible pathway to design effective photocatalysts for both photocatalytic degradation and nitrogen fixation.

Automated summary

This study successfully fabricated S-doped BiOCl photocatalysts and evaluated their photocatalytic degradation and nitrogen fixation performance. The results showed that S-doped BiOCl samples exhibited better activity than pure BiOCl in degrading dyes and fixing nitrogen, with S(6%)-BiOCl sample showing excellent performance.