Innovative p–n semiconductor heterojunction as a nanophotocatalysttoward the C(OH)–H bond activation

Nowadays, using semiconductors for photocatalytic treatment of pollutants has beenbroadly scrutinized due to their eco-friendly and low cost [۱-۳]. Nanomagnetic heterostructure wasprepared by solvent-free thermal procedure and was characterized by various techniques. The purecopper bismuth oxide and a semi-hard ferrite (cobalt ferrite) illustrated poor photoactivity becauseof their high charge recombination rate and slightly visible light absorbance, respectively. Theaverage size of the synthesized heterojunction was approximately ۲۰ nm, which displayed almosttwofold higher photoactivity than pure CoFe۲O۴ and CuBi۲O۴ toward the C(OH)–H bondactivation. This nanocomposite exhibits photocatalytic efficiency as high as ۹۸% with very highstability. The enhanced photoactivity could be attributed to the efficient Z-scheme mechanism ofcharge carrier separation between p–n semiconductors, which decreases the electron–holerecombination rate. The results supply a promising approach to the preparation of p–nheterostructured photocatalysts for organic reactions.

Keywords:

Semiconductors , Z-scheme , Cobalt Ferrite , Copper Bismuth Oxide , C(OH)–H BondActivation