Facile Low Temperature Synthesis and Photocatalytic Application of Bismuth Molybdate Based Heterostructure Materials for Water Decontamination

Abstract

Photocatalytic method has been recently recognised as a promising technology to deal with waste water remediation and renewable energy generation. Among different classes of visible light active photocatalysts, significant research focus has been devoted to bismuth based layered semiconductor materials due to their as narrow band gap, high stability, earth abundance, nontoxic nature, resistance to corrosion and a diffused valence band which promote migration of holes. However, faster electron-hole recombination and low solar spectrum utilisation prompted development of various strategies to overcome these challenges. Designing effective strategies to enhance the visible light absorption and charge carrier separation properties are important for synthesis of photocatalysts with higher photocatalytic activity. Herein, a series of CaFe2O4/Bi2MoO6 heterojunctions with visible spectrum response were prepared by modifying CaFe2O4 phase on the surface of Bi2MoO6 nanoplates. The synthesized materials were characterized by using different analytical techniques including XRD, UV-Vis DRS, PL, Raman, FESEM, TEM and photoelectrochemical measurements. The prepared CaFe2O4/Bi2MoO6 heterojunctions materials exhibited excellent performance in photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A and reduction of Cr(VI). In particular, the rate of BPA degradation in case of 20% CaFe2O4/Bi2MoO6 was 4 and 9.5 times better than that of pristine Bi2MoO6 and CaFe2O4, respectively. For Cr(VI) reduction the rate was found to be 4 times and 5.5 times larger than Bi2MoO6 and CaFe2O4, respectively. In addition, the prepared samples showed excellent photostability for BPA degradation as well as Cr(VI) reduction. The important results obtained from this investigation will be presented in the conference.