The role of oxygen vacancy over ZnCr-layered double oxide in enhancing solar light-driven photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A

Two ZnCr-layered double oxides (ZnCr-LDO) were fabricated via different thermal treatment of the ZnCr-layered double hydroxide (ZnCr-LDH) precursor. ZnCr-V-700 and ZnCr-A-700 were obtained at 700 degrees C under vacuum and air, respectively. As X-ray diffraction revealed, both ZnCr-V-700 and ZnCr-A-700 were made up of ZnO and ZnCr2O4 spinel, and ZnCr-V-700 displayed a lower crystallinity and many uniform particles with oxygen vacancies. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the particle size of ZnCr-V-700 was similar to 30 nm and its disordered crystallinity suggested the existence of oxygen vacancies. Notably, the ZnCr-LDO materials showed remarkably enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to the ZnCr-LDH precursor. ZnCr-V-700 was the most active material and more than 90% of BPA was degraded after irradiation for 200 min with high mineralisation (up to 37 %). The results of Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman and UV-vis spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy showed that oxygen vacancies incorporated into ZnCr-V-700 played a key role in improving the photocatalytic performance by enhancing interfacial charge transfer and restricting the charge recombination. In addition, the uniform particle size, larger surface area and the coexistence of ZnO and ZnCr2O4 also played a synergistic role. In conclusion, this work not only provides a facile and low-cost method to prepare photocatalysts for treatment of wastewater containing BPA, but also supplies a new idea for improving the performance of photocatalysts.