In situ fabrication of BiOBr/BiFeWO6 heterojunction with excellent photodegradation activity under visible light

A novel visible-light-driven BiOBr/BiFeWO6 heterojunction was prepared through a simple hydrothermal route. The physicochemical properties of BiOBr/BiFeWO6 nanocomposites were systematically characterized. The existence of a clear interface between BiOBr and BiFeWO6 could be obtained by transmission electron microscopy, indicating the formation of heterojunction. Rhodamine B (RhB) was used to investigate the photocatalytic performance of BiOBr/BiFeWO6 nanocomposites under visible light irradiation ( lambda > 420 nm). The degradation efficiency of BiOBr/BiFeWO6-40 nanocomposite reached 96.3 % within 90 min. The improved photocatalytic performance is mainly due to the synergistic interaction between BiOBr/BiFeWO6. It is beneficial to the separation of photogenerated carriers and the absorption of visible light. In addition, long-term stability results indicate that BiOBr/BiFeWO6 heterojunction may be an excellent material for effective degradation of dyes from wastewater and may be explored for large-scale application in the future. Finally, a possible mechanism is proposed for the catalytic degradation of RhB by the BiOBr/BiFeWO6 heterojunction. This work provides a convenient and dependable method to synthesize BiOBr/BiFeWO6 nanocomposite, which might be a promising candidate for large-scale application in wastewater treatment.