A hydrolysis synthesis route for (001)/(102) coexposed BiOCl nanosheets with high visible light-driven catalytic performance

High-efficiency sunlight energy usage and low carrier recombination have attracted significant attention for the exploration of novel photocatalyst candidates. In this work, BiOCl nanosheets showing various (001)/(102) facet ratios were synthesized by a simple hydrolysis method under different pH conditions by using BiCl3 as a precursor. The inherent relationship among the morphology, exposure facets and photocatalytic performance of BiOCl was visualized via adjusting the synthesis parameters during the hydrolysis process. The results indicate that the suitable (001)/(102) facet ratio, abundant hydroxyl groups on the surface, and the negative potential surface of BiOCl are important factors for the enhancement of its photocatalytic degradation rate of organic pollutants. Besides, the negative potential surface of BiOCl helps in the adsorption of Rhodamine B (RhB) molecules readily, which act as a sensitizer to widen the response range of BiOCl from ultraviolet light to visible light. The sensitized BiOCl photocatalyst with good matching (001)/(102) crystal planes indicates an excellent photocatalytic behavior, and it can decolorize a RhB solution completely under visible light within 40 min, which is even higher than that of commercial TiO2 under UV light irradiation. This work provides a facile route and good idea for the application of photocatalysis for the removal of cationic pollutants in the wastewater purification field.