Facile in situ synthesis of the bismuth oxychloride/bismuth niobate/TiO2 composite as a high efficient and stable visible light driven photocatalyst

As a strategy of fabricating a heterojunction structure to extend the light response region and improve charge separation efficiency, the BiOCl/Bi5Nb3O15/TiO2 composites (BiOCl/BiNbO/TiO2) were successfully synthesized by a simple method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurements and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The results showed that the ternary hybrid of BiOCl-Bi5Nb3O15-TiO2 exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B in water and the decomposing of acetone in air to CO2 under visible light irradiation. The sample with the molar ratio of Bi/Ti = 0.032:1 showed the highest efficiency. The enhanced photocatalytic performances of the BiOCl/BiNbO/TiO2 composites can be attributed to the improved charge separation efficiency derived from the suitable conduction band interaction among the three components, as well as high specific surface area and dual mesoporous structure. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.