One-pot combustion fabrication of grain-like mesoporous intra-heterostructure BixOyClz nanophotocatalyst with substantial solar-light-driven degradation of antibiotic ofloxacin: influence of various fuels

In the present study, a BixOyClz nanophotocatalyst was synthesized via one-pot solution combustion synthesis using various fuels such as glycine, urea, citric acid and sorbitol. Characterization of the photocatalyst was carried out by XRD, FESEM, TEM, PSD, EDX, BET-BJH, UV-vis DRS, PL and pHpzc techniques. The results revealed that a grain-like mesoporous BixOyClz nanophotocatalyst consisting of BiOCl and Bi24O31Cl10 was successfully synthesized using sorbitol. The fabricated nanophotocatalyst was used in the degradation of the antibiotic ofloxacin under simulated solar light. The highest efficiency (82.5%) and reaction rate (k = 0.017 min(-1)) in the photodegradation of the antibiotic ofloxacin were achieved with the grain-like mesoporous nanophotocatalyst synthesized using sorbitol. Studies of the effects of operational parameters such as the pH, catalyst loading and antibiotic concentration showed an increase in the photocatalytic performance of BixOyClz (sorbitol) at a low concentration of the pollutant, at the optimal catalyst dosage (5 g L-1) and in acidic media. High stability after five reaction cycles was observed for the BixOyClz (sorbitol) nanophotocatalyst. Moreover, a reaction mechanism was suggested for the photodegradation of the antibiotic ofloxacin over BixOyClz (sorbitol).