Synthesis and Characterization of SrFeO2.73/Bi2MoO6 Heterojunction with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity.

Simple hydrothermal method and wet chemical method were both used to synthesize a novel SFO/BMO heterojunction, which was applied to the degradation of tetracycline (TC) in wastewater. Compared with the pure catalyst, the composite heterojunction catalyst can significantly improve the photodegradation efficiency. Under simulated sunlight, the degradation rate of TC by the composite with 30 wt% SFO mass could reach 77%, which was 20.8% higher than that of pure BMO and 50.4% higher than that of pure SFO. This is attributed to the low recombination rate of photogenerated electron-holes and the reduction in the band gap width caused by the synergy of BMO and SFO. At the same time, this phenomenon was confirmed by a series of characterizations, including XRD, SEM, XPS, FT-IR and UV–Vis, as well as analysis of the catalytic mechanism. The study provides a theoretical basis for the discovery of diverse photocatalysts. The heterojunction Bi2MoO6/SrFeO3-x is formed to reduce the recombination rate of photogenerated electron-holes, thereby improving the degradation efficiency of the original Bi2MoO6 to tetracycline wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]