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Assembly of WO3 nanosheets/Bi24O31Br10 nanosheets composites with superior photocatalytic activity for degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride

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Abstract

In this work, a high-performance composite photocatalyst composed of WO3 nanosheets and Bi24O31Br10 nanosheets was successfully synthesized. The photocatalytic activity of the obtained samples was studied by the degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride under visible light irradiation. The results showed that Bi24O31Br10 modified with the appropriate amount of WO3 nanosheet exhibits higher catalytic activity and stability during the photocatalytic processes, and the holes (h+) is involved in the photolysis reaction as the main active species. The crystallization, morphology, optical and electrochemical properties of the as-prepared composite photocatalyst were characterized, and the mechanism of high photocatalytic activity was also explored. The optimal sample (10%-WO3/Bi24O31Br10) exhibited the best performance for tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) degradation, and more than 80% of the TC was degraded after 60 min under light irradiation. The degradation rate constant k was about 3.34-fold and 1.54-fold higher than pure WO3 and Bi24O31Br10, respectively. Its high photocatalytic performance can be attributed to the following reasons: the appropriate conduction band and valence band positions between WO3 and Bi24O31Br10, the close contact between the two visible light-driven photocatalysts, and the effective separation of the spatial charge. Our work may help to further expand the potential application of oxygen-rich bismuth oxyhalides photocatalyst in wastewater treatment, and provide a new strategy for the modification of nanostructured photocatalysts.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the financial supports of National Nature Science Foundation of China (No. 21606111, 21576121 and 21406091), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20140530 and BK20150482), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2015M570409, 2017T110453).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, 466001, China

    Wen Wu & Yawen Xuan

  2. The Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Functional Materials and Applications, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, 466001, China

    Wen Wu & Yawen Xuan

  3. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China

    Xiaodong Ma, Di Li, Suci Meng & Min Chen

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  1. Wen Wu
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  2. Xiaodong Ma
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  3. Di Li
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  6. Min Chen
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Correspondence to Wen Wu.

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Wu, W., Ma, X., Li, D. et al. Assembly of WO3 nanosheets/Bi24O31Br10 nanosheets composites with superior photocatalytic activity for degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride. J Mater Sci 53, 15804–15816 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-018-2747-9

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