Enhanced charge separation and increased oxygen vacancies of h-BN/OV-BiOCl for improved visible-light photocatalytic performance

The introduction of oxygen vacancies (OVs) on the surface of photocatalysts has already been proven to be an effective way to extend the light response to visible light and trap charge carriers, thereby promoting the photocatalytic performance. In this study, h-BN/OV-BiOCl composites were prepared using hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) to further improve the visible-light photocatalytic activity of oxygen-vacancy-enriched bismuth oxychloride (OV-BiOCl). The composition and morphology of these materials were investigated, and the photocatalytic performance experiments showed that the introduction of h-BN could significantly improve the visible-light photocatalytic activity of OV-BiOCl, which was 1.7 and 1.4 times that of pure OV-BiOCl for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and bisphenol A (BPA) when the h-BN content was 5 wt%, respectively. The role of h-BN was comprehensively investigated, and the results revealed that the presence of negatively charged h-BN could improve the separation efficiency of photoinduced electrons (e(-)) and holes (h(+)) by promoting the migration of positively charged h(+) to the surface of the photocatalyst, as expected. Moreover, the oxygen vacancies in OV-BiOCl were increased in the presence of h-BN; this favored the activation of more adsorbed O-2 for the oxidation of pollutants. Finally, a probable mechanism was proposed for the improved photocatalytic activity of the h-BN/OV-BiOCl composites. This study provides an insight into the roles of h-BN in oxygen-vacancy-enriched photocatalysts.