BixOyIz with oxygen vacancies for boosting the photocatalytic oxidation of bisphenol A and tetracycline

Abstract

To enhance charge transfer driving force and accomplish the high separation efficiency of photo-generated electrons and holes, a well-designed hierarchical Bi_xO_yI_z nanoflowers with oxygen defect was obtained by regulating the calcination temperature of BiOI. The photoluminescence (PL) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements demonstrated that the concentrations of oxygen vacancies in Bi_xO_yI_z changed with temperature. Benefiting from the strong attraction effect to electrons and the stronger oxidation capability, the oxygen-deficient Bi₄O₅I₂ exhibited prominent visible light photocatalytic degradation performance towards antibiotic tetracycline (TC) and bisphenol A (BPA). The removal rates for TC and BPA could reach 100% within 10 min and 30 min, which are 10.13 times and 3.06 times than that of BiOI, respectively. This work provides a facile method for the synthesis of bismuth-rich materials and offers potential directions for the efficient degradation of antibiotics.