Facile Fabrication of Bi12O17Br2/Bi24O31Br10 Type II Heterostructures with High Visible Photocatalytic Activity

One-dimensional (1D) Bi12O17Br2/Bi24O31Br10 type II heterostructures were synthesized by calcining BiOBr/Bi(OHC2O4)center dot 2H(2)O heterostructures in air at 400 degrees C. The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared products was evaluated by the degradation of phenol and Rhodamin B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. The Bi12O17Br2/Bi24O31Br10 hierarchical heterostructures show enhanced visible light catalytic activity with the increase of the loaded/Bi24O31Br10 content, which results from the efficient separation of photogenerated charge carriers due to the staggered band potentials of the two materials. Radical scavenger experiments confirm that photogenerated holes (h(+)) are the main active species for oxidizing RhB molecules during the photocatalytic processes.