Simple solid-state synthesis of BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3 heterojunction and its excellent photocatalytic degradation of RhB

The composition and microstructure of heterojunctions could remarkably affect the photo-induced charge separation of semiconductors, thus changing their photocatalytic activity. In this work, a simple solid-state chemical reaction route was developed to fabricate BiOCl/Bi(2)O(2)CO(3 )p-n heterojunctions hierarchical nanostructures self-assembled by thin nanoplates. The as-synthesized heterojunctions significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity in comparison with individual Bi2O2CO3 and BiOCl. In particularly, the 60% BiOCl/Bi(2)O(2)CO(3 )heterojunction exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity, which was around 188 times and 17 times higher than that of pristine Bi2O2CO3 under visible and ultraviolet light, respectively. The remarkable enhanced photodegradation performance of heterojunction is ascribed to its higher specific surface area and the efficient separation of photo-generated carriers. Combining with the theoretical and experimental results, the transition paths of electrons and holes between BiOCl and Bi2O2CO3 was investigated, therefore the self-photosensitized photocatalytic mechanism of BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3 composite has also been well explained. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.