Novel ZnO/Bi12O17Br2 heterojnction photocatalyst with superior photocatalytic efficiency under visible light irradiation

Novel visible-light-driven ZnO/Bi12O17Br2 photocatalysts were successfully prepared by facile procedure. The products were characterized by XRD, SEM,and FTIR analyses. Photocatalytic experiments showed that the ZnO/Bi12O17Br2 (30%) nanocomposite has high activity for degradation of rhodamine B as pollutant, which is about 13 times as high as bare ZnO. This high photoactivity can be attributed to harvesting of the visible-light irradiation due to narrow band gap of Bi12O17Br2 semiconductor and efficiently separation of the electron–hole pairs owing to formation of heterojunction between ZnO and Bi12O17Br2. This work has important implication for the management and practical application of catalysts.

Keywords:

ZnO/Bi12O17Br2 nanocomposite , Dye pollutants , Visible-light-driven photocatalysts , Heterojunction