In-situ ion exchange synthesis of hierarchical AgI/BiOI microsphere photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic properties

Novel hierarchical AgI/BiOI microspheres were synthesized using a facile in situ ion exchange reaction between BiOI microspheres and a AgNO3 solution. The results show that the AgI nanoparticles sre uniformly anchored on the surface of the BiOI nanosheets. The optimal amount of AgI in a AgI/BiOI microsphere was found to be 70.4%. The degradation rate of RhB over a 70.4% AgI/BiOI heterojunction was found to be 7.8 and 3.0 times higher than that of bare BiOI and AgI, respectively. The degradation rate of phenol over a 70.4% AgI/BiOI heterojunction was found to be 95.4%, which is 2.9 and 14.2 times higher than that of bare BiOI and AgI, respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic activity induced by the in situ grown AgI nanoparticles is attributed to the effective electron-hole separation between BiOI and AgI.