Dimension-controlled synthesis of BiOI for efficient visible light photodegradation of tetracycline: role of pore structure

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2024 Apr 3. doi: 10.1007/s11356-024-32827-8. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe transformation of photogenerated charge carriers (PC) in variable dimensional photocatalyst plays a pivotal role in unraveling the generation of reactive species (RS). However, the dimensional structure-activity relationship in photocatalysis remains elusive, with limited insights into its intricacies. Herein, we report a controlled synthesis strategy by using polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP)-assisted precipitation method for BiOI photocatalyst. Due to the steric hindrance of PVP, the 3D microsphere (3D-PVP0.5) and porous structure (3D-PVP1) of BiOI catalysts have been successfully prepared at room temperature. The 3D-PVP1 photocatalyst contains abundant mesopores and larger pores, which significantly shorten the diffusion distance of PC. Also, these PC in porous structure is beneficial for transferring from the inner phase to the surface of materials. Combined with optical property and radicals trapping experiments, the recombination rate of PC in porous structure performs a significant decrease, leading to the generation of more dominated ROS (•O2- and h+). The •O2- played a dominated role (86.98% of contribution rate) in photodegradation of tetracycline (TC) in 3D-PVP1 photocatalytic process. Compared with 2D nanosheet of BiOI (16.7% removal rate of TC), the as-prepared 3D porous structure of BiOI catalyst exhibits unique stable and high removal capacities (90.5%) for ...
Source: Environmental Science and Pollution Research International - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: research