Graphene Oxide/BiOCl Nanocomposite Films as Efficient Visible Light Photocatalysts

Abstract

A novel graphene oxide/BiOCl (GO/BiOCl) nanocomposite film was prepared via a spread coating method. In visible-light photocatalytically degrading Rhodamine B (RhB) experiments, 2 wt% GO/BiOCl could degrade 99% of RhB within 1.5 h and the rate constant was 12.2 times higher than that of pure BiOCl. The degradation efficiency still kept at 80% even after 4 recycles, evidencing the relatively good recyclability. The enhancement was attributed to the improvement of visible light adsorption and charge separation. Holes and superoxide radicals·O2- played a major role as reactive species. The values of conduction band and valence band for GO and BiOCl were calculated and a new photocatalytic mechanism of GO/BiOCl nanocomposite was proposed.

A facile synthesis of bismuth oxychloride-graphene oxide composite for visible light photocatalysis of aqueous diclofenac sodium

“…For water treatment, it is necessary to explore the properties of such materials to increase its photocatalytic activity. Graphene is a carbon-based material having sp 2 - hybridized carbon atoms with a honeycomb structure 12 . Graphene’s composites have been used for water splitting through photocatalysis to generate hydrogen as well as for photocatalytic degradation of pollutants due to its high specific surface area and greater mobility of charge particles 13 – 16 .…”

Complementary SEM-AFM of Swelling Bi-Fe-O Film on HOPG Substrate

“…The increasing number of free electrons caused by broken Van der Waals bonds also contribute to the low-energy shift of the spectra due to the increasing length of the Bi-O bond. The spectra displacement after long-time etching to smaller binding energies also indicates the decreasing interaction between the bismuth oxide and the oxidized graphite surface [34]. The etching over 39.5 h reveals bismuth peaks at 164.08 eV and 158.78 eV, which are assigned to bismuth subcarbonate composition [35].…”

Novel Ternary Heterogeneous Reduction Graphene Oxide (RGO)/BiOCl/TiO2 Nanocomposites for Enhanced Adsorption and Visible-Light Induced Photocatalytic Activity toward Organic Contaminants

“…Figure 6 shows the N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherm of RGO/BiOCl/TiO 2 nanocomposites with various compositions and their corresponding pore-size distribution. It is clear that all of the samples exhibit a type IV isotherm with a hysteresis loop within the range from 0.4 to 1.0 (P/P 0 ), indicating their mesoporous nature according to the IUPAC-BET classification [49,50]. The Barrett-Joyner-Halenda pore-size distribution of the prepared nanocomposites is shown in the inset of the corresponding N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherm, founding that the pore diameter of the prepared nanocomposites is mainly distributed in mesoporous range of 2-40 nm.…”