Ion Exchange Synthesis of Bi2MoO6/BiOI Heterojunctions for Photocatalytic Degradation and Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting.

In this study, flower-like Bi2MoO6/BiOI heterostructure photocatalysts were synthesized via an anion exchange method using BiOI as precursor. The composition of Bi2MoO6/BiOI can be easily controlled by adjusting the MoO/I molar ratio. Photocatalytic activity studies based on the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) show that Bi2MoO6/BiOI50% photocatalyst exhibited the best performance under visible light excitation. The radical scavengers test demonstrated that holes was the main reactive species for the degradation of RhB, andO also took part in the photodecomposition process. Photoelectrochemical measurement reveals that the Bi2MoO6/BiOI50% exhibit enhanced carrier densities, charge separation and photocurrent compared with the original Bi2MoO6 and BiOI. Our results show that bismuth-based heterojunctions fabricated through the anion exchange method could be a cost-effective approach to improve the photocatalytic activity and photoelectrochemical performance of BiOI. Flower-like Bi2MoO6/BiOI heterostructures were synthesized via an anion exchange method. The photocatalytic test confirmed that the activity of Bi2MoO6/BiOI heterojunctions is greatly improved by degrading RhB solution under visible light irradiation, and Bi2MoO6/BiOI=50% photocatalyst exhibited best photocatalytic activity and photoelectrochemical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]