Enhanced organic dye removal of porous BN fibers supported Ta3N5 nanoparticles under visible light irradiation

We discussed the synthesis, microstructure and removal capacity for organic dyes of the porous hexagonal BN fibers supported Ta3N5 nanoparticles. The composite photocatalysts were simply synthesized via a thermal ammonolysis of complex precursor. The porous structure of as-prepared composites is similar to that of porous hBN fibers. The BN fibers were decorated with the spherical Ta3N5 particles in the size of about 10 nm to form intimate interfaces between these two phases. The absorbance of composite photocatalysts to visible light was closely connected with their compositions. The BN fibers supported Ta3N5 nanoparticls exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance for organic dyes removal under visible-light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability of the as-obtained composite were mainly contributed to the negatively charged BN fibers, which cannot act as effective adsorbent, but also act as a promoter for the transfer of photogenerated holes. The coupling effect of both adsorption and degradation for organic dyes over the composites resulted in different removal behaviors compared with pure Ta3N5. The present investigation provides a feasible route to fabricate a class of photocatalyst composites with high activity based on porous hBN fibers. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.