Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of BiOCl Hybridized with g-C3N4

A g-C3N4/bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) heterojunction was prepared by ultrasonic method. The microstructure, morphology, properties, and photocatalytic activity of the heterojunction were characterized using X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy and electro-chemical experiments. After hybridized with g-C3N4, the absorption edge of g-C3N4/BiOCl showed a red shift that reached 440 nm, with a band gap (E (g)) calculated to be 2.82 eV. Under visible-light irradiation, the hybrid photocatalyst also showed activity for methylene-blue photodegradation that was approximately 6.3 times higher than the activity of pure BiOCl. The mechanism of photocatalytic activity enhancement involved increased separation of electrons and holes between g-C3N4 and BiOCl. This work significantly contributed to the improvement in photocatalytic activity of BiOCl.