Visible-Light-Driven Ag-Doped BiOBr Nanoplates with an Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance for the Degradation of Bisphenol A

Based on the low utilization rate of visible light and the high-charge carriers-recombination efficiency of bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr), in this work, noble metal Ag was used to modify BiOBr, and Ag-doped BiOBr nanoplates (Ag-BiOBr) were obtained through a one-step hydrothermal method. Compared with BiOBr, the absorption edge of Ag-BiOBr showed a redshift from 453 nm to 510 nm, and the absorption efficiency of visible light was, obviously, improved. Bisphenol A (BPA) was chosen as the target pollutant, to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of the samples. Ag-0.1-BiOBr showed the highest degradation efficiency. The intrinsic photocatalytic activity of Ag-0.1-BiOBr, under visible light, was approximately twice as high as that of BiOBr. In this way, a new visible-light-driven photocatalyst was proposed, to fight against organic pollution, which provides a promising strategy for water and wastewater treatment.

Automated summary

In this study, noble metal silver was used to modify bismuth oxybromide and Ag-doped BiOBr nanoplates were synthesized. The modified Ag-BiOBr showed improved absorption efficiency of visible light and exhibited higher photocatalytic activity for the degradation of bisphenol A. This novel visible-light-driven photocatalyst presents a promising strategy for organic pollution control in water and wastewater treatment.