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Synthesis of flower-like AgI/Bi5O7I hybrid photocatalysts with enhanced photocatalytic activity in rhodamine B degradation

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Abstract

Flower-like AgI/Bi5O7I hybrid photocatalysts were fabricated via a hydrothermal method and the subsequent heating process with AgI/Bi4O5I2 as the intermediate. X-ray powder diffraction, Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectra, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, photoluminescence, and electrochemical methods were used to reveal the structure, elemental content, morphology, and charge separation capabilities of the as-prepared samples. The photocatalytic test showed that the AgI/Bi5O7I composites own much higher photoactivity than pure AgI and Bi5O7I. Based on the result of XPS analysis, the composite is believed to be the Ag/AgI/Bi5O7I system. Due to the suitable band potentials of AgI and Bi5O7I, the ternary system can form a heterojunction structure which works in a Z-scheme mechanism with Ag nanoparticles as the transfer media. The guided charge transfer in the composite prolongs the life time of charge carriers and eventually leads to the high photocatalytic activity of AgI/Bi5O7I. Additionally, the flower-like structure of the composite also contributes to the photocatalytic reaction.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province in China (LY14B030002 and LY16B030002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China

    Xiaole Jiang, Yueying Ma, Chunran Zhao, Yijing Chen, Min Cui, Jingxiong Yu & Yiming He

  2. College of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China

    Ying Wu

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  1. Xiaole Jiang
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  2. Yueying Ma
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  3. Chunran Zhao
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Jiang, X., Ma, Y., Zhao, C. et al. Synthesis of flower-like AgI/Bi5O7I hybrid photocatalysts with enhanced photocatalytic activity in rhodamine B degradation. Journal of Materials Research 33, 2385–2395 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2018.201

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