Enhancement of Photocatalytic Performance of Layered Bi2MoO6 by Ferroelectric Polarization

The effect of ferroelectric polarization on the activity enhancement of Bi2MoO6 photocatalyst was explored by applying ferroelectric field polarization to organic. inorganic composite film materials constructed by ferroelectric photocatalyst Bi2MoO6 and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). The efficiency of unpolarized Bi2MoO6 degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) was 57.6% under 40 min light irradiation, and the degradation efficiency of bisphenol A (BPA) was 33.4% under 150 min light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of Bi2MoO6 material polarized for 1.5 h at 15 V voltages was greatly enhanced, and the degradation efficiency of RhB and BPA under the same conditions reached 98.1% and 79.2%, respectively. The reason for the enhancement of photocatalytic activity is attributed to the enhancement of the internal electric field. The ferroelectric domains of the internal electric field of unpolarized Bi2MoO6 were disordered and unevenly distributed, and photogenerated carriers were very prone to recombination. When the applied electric field polarized Bi2MoO6, the ferroelectric domains of Bi2MoO6 tended to be ordered, and the polarization direction tended to be the same. Positive charges were generated on one side of the surface (C+ region) and negative charges were generated on the other side (C- region). The polarized electric field from C- region to C+ region drives the photogenerated electrons and holes to migrate to C+ and C- regions, respectively. This process promotes the rapid migration of photogenerated charge carriers from the interior to the surface, improves and prolongs the separation efficiency and lifetime of photogenerated carriers, leading to the enhancement of photocatalytic activity.