Simple synthesis of BiOI/ZnO/rGO for efficient photocatalytic degradation of antibiotic chloramphenicol under visible light
Xuehan Zhang , Zihan Zhu , Feng Guo , Anming Li , Weichao Xu
DOI:10.1016/j.jes.2022.05.045
Received December 07, 2021,Revised , Accepted May 26, 2022, Available online June 03, 2022
Volume 35,2023,Pages 65-76
BiOI/ZnO/rGO (reduced graphene oxide) composite photocatalyst was fabricated using a simple one−step hydrothermal process and applied to the degradation of antibiotic chloramphenicol (CAP). By tuning the Bi/Zn ratios, the structure and photoelectric properties of the catalyst were investigated and characterized in terms of their morphological, structural, optical and photoelectrochemical properties. The as-synthesized composite photocatalysts are well-crystalline, uniform dispersion and exhibit good photocatalytic properties. The photocatalytic degradation rate of CAP by BiOI/ZnO/rGO composite is 8.1 times and 1.8 times that of BiOI and ZnO, respectively. The photocatalytic mechanism studies revealed that the synergistic effect between rGO and BiOI/ZnO can effectively separate photogenerated electron–hole, enhance photocurrents and conductivity, and improve charge carrier densities. Moreover, BiOI/ZnO/rGO possesses good stability and reusability that the degradation efficiency remained above 80% even after 5 recycling. This study reveals that both the introduction of rGO and heterostructure construction between BiOI and ZnO play a crucial role in their photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic properties.
