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Enhanced photocatalytic performance of Z-scheme Cu2O/Bi5O7I nanocomposites

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Abstract

Cu2O/Bi5O7I nanocomposites were prepared by a facile thermal decomposition process and chemical reduction route. The structures, morphologies, optical and electrochemical properties of the samples were characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, DRS, EIS and photocurrent responses. The photocatalytic activity of the composites was evaluated by the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under simulated sunlight irradiation, compared to bare Cu2O and Bi5O7I, the Cu2O/Bi5O7I composites exhibit an enhanced photocatalytic activity. The highest photocatalytic activity was observed for the 25.0%Cu2O/Bi5O7I composite. The superior photocatalytic activity of Cu2O/Bi5O7I nancomposites could be mainly ascribed to the stronger absorption ability for visible light and the high separation efficiency of photogenerated electron and hole pairs via a Z-scheme mechanism. Furthermore, it is concluded from the experimental results that ·OH and ·O2− are the dominant reactive species causing the dye degradation. The photocatalytic Z-scheme mechanism involved was discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (61107055), the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Jiangsu University of Technology (KYY17011), the Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Materials Surface Science and Technology (KFBM20170003) and Cooperation projects between universities and enterprises (KYH17020002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Material Design and Additive Manufacturing, School of Materials and Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou, 213001, China

    Yongmei Xia

  2. Huaide College, Changzhou University, Jingjiang, 214500, China

    Zuming He, Jiangbin Su & Bin Tang

  3. School of Mathematics & Physics, Changzhou University, Changzhou, 213164, China

    Zuming He, Jiangbin Su & Bin Tang

  4. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Materials Surface Science and Technology, Changzhou University, Changzhou, 213164, Jiangsu, China

    Yongmei Xia & Ya Liu

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  1. Yongmei Xia
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  2. Zuming He
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Correspondence to Zuming He or Bin Tang.

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Xia, Y., He, Z., Su, J. et al. Enhanced photocatalytic performance of Z-scheme Cu2O/Bi5O7I nanocomposites. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 29, 15271–15281 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-018-9669-9

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