Bi2MoO6/red phosphorus heterojunction for reducing Cr(VI) and mitigating Escherichia coli infection

Highly efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysts for removing diverse pollutants have become major topics of interest in wastewater treatment. In this study, the Bi2MoO6/HRP heterojunctions were designed by hydrothermal treatment using Bi2MoO6 and hydrothermally treated red phosphorus (HRP). The resulting 5%Bi2MoO6/HRP (with 5% mass fraction of Bi2MoO6) composite exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance for Cr(VI) reduction and Escherichia coli (E. coli) inactivation. The Cr(VI) photoreduction rate constant was 0.168 min-1, and the E.coli colony counts of 2.84 x 108 CFU mL-1 was decreased to 1.6 x107 CFU mL-1 after 30 min of visible light irradiation. Mechanistic investigation further revealed that photocatalytic performance was enhanced by the tight heterojunction between Bi2MoO6 and the HRP, thereby effectively promoting carrier transfer, and reducing the charge-carrier transfer resistance of composite catalyst. Meanwhile, cycling experiments presented outstanding photostability. This study exhibited that the highly efficient and stable 5%Bi2MoO6/HRP composite was potentially effective in treating toxic heavy metals and pathogenic bacteria for water treatment.

Automated summary

Highly efficient visible-light-driven Bi2MoO6/HRP heterojunctions exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance for Cr(VI) reduction and E.coli inactivation, showing potential applications in water treatment.