One step approach for hybrid photocatalyst synthesis: Synergetic photocatalytic water pollutant degradation

To address the issues of water pollution and energy shortage, significant research has gone into the design of nanostructures with enhanced photocatalytic activity. In this paper, the photocatalyst Bi₂S₃/Bi/BiOI (BIS) was designed with both Z-scheme and heterojunction structures and successfully fabricated via a facile one-step solvothermal method. The as-synthesized BIS sample could quickly decompose the Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation within 30 min and demonstrated good reproducibility and cyclability. The low bandgap energy, large specific surface area, and the high oxidation/reduction potential of holes/electrons were key factors for the improved photocatalytic performance. The photogenerated h⁺ and ·O₂ ⁻ species played important roles in the degradation of RhB. The photocatalyst showed excellent, stable photocatalytic activity, and could be a candidate for environmental pollution remediation applications.