Facile synthesis of Bi decorated 2D and 3D BiOBr micro-nanostructures with enhanced photocatalytic activity

BiOBr nanoplates and microflowers decorated with Bi nanoparticles were synthesised by a one-pot catalytic-solvothermal method. Using SbCl3 as additive agent, it can not only shorten the synthesis time but also control the morphology and composition of the product. The samples were characterised by various analytical techniques, indicating enhanced optical absorption and effective charge separation properties as well as abundant oxygen vacancies. The products were employed for the degradation of rhodamine B and phenol solution under visible-light irradiation, exhibiting significantly improved photocatalytic efficiency in comparison with pure BiOBr. An investigation into the photocatalytic mechanism of Bi/BiOBr showed that peroxy radical was the main active species in the degradation process. This study provided a facile and energy saving preparation of controllable Bi/BiOBr heterojunction with oxygen vacancies.