Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of BiOBr/ZnO Heterojunction Semiconductors Prepared by Facile Hydrothermal Method

Hexagonal wurtzite pure ZnO and BiOBr-ZnO composites were synthesized by facile hydrothermal method. The amount of BiOBr as dopant was adjusted from 5 wt.% to 75 wt.%, and correspondingly the morphologies and crystal structures of the as-prepared composites were measured and discussed. Specifically,...

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Main Authors: Xiangchao Meng, Lingyun Jiang, Weiwen Wang, Zisheng Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2015-01-01
Series:International Journal of Photoenergy
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/747024
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author Xiangchao Meng
Lingyun Jiang
Weiwen Wang
Zisheng Zhang
author_facet Xiangchao Meng
Lingyun Jiang
Weiwen Wang
Zisheng Zhang
author_sort Xiangchao Meng
collection DOAJ
description Hexagonal wurtzite pure ZnO and BiOBr-ZnO composites were synthesized by facile hydrothermal method. The amount of BiOBr as dopant was adjusted from 5 wt.% to 75 wt.%, and correspondingly the morphologies and crystal structures of the as-prepared composites were measured and discussed. Specifically, according to XRD patterns and SEM images, the main crystalline structure of ZnO was not destroyed after doping, but growth of ZnO crystals was inhibited by doping BiOBr. Meanwhile, the optical properties of the composites were measured by the diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The band gap of composites was also calculated using the classical Tauc equation and it was found to be around 3.0 eV. In the test of photocatalytic activation, the ZnO-BiOBr photocatalysts exhibited high photocatalytic efficiencies in the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible-light irradiation. It was ascribed to not only the small size of crystalline, but also the reduction in the recombination rate of the photogenerated carriers for the enhancement effect of p-n heterojunction. This work sheds light on improving the photocatalytic performance by establishing the heterojunction and contributes to the development of a commercially competitive photocatalyst.
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spelling doaj-art-f0ba65e69a964bc4b9bd0b6d78f13d252025-08-20T02:22:16ZengWileyInternational Journal of Photoenergy1110-662X1687-529X2015-01-01201510.1155/2015/747024747024Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of BiOBr/ZnO Heterojunction Semiconductors Prepared by Facile Hydrothermal MethodXiangchao Meng0Lingyun Jiang1Weiwen Wang2Zisheng Zhang3Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, University of Ottawa, 161 Louis Pasteur, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, CanadaDepartment of Chemical & Biological Engineering, University of Ottawa, 161 Louis Pasteur, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, CanadaCollege of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science & Technology, 53 Zhengzhou Road, Qingdao 266042, ChinaDepartment of Chemical & Biological Engineering, University of Ottawa, 161 Louis Pasteur, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, CanadaHexagonal wurtzite pure ZnO and BiOBr-ZnO composites were synthesized by facile hydrothermal method. The amount of BiOBr as dopant was adjusted from 5 wt.% to 75 wt.%, and correspondingly the morphologies and crystal structures of the as-prepared composites were measured and discussed. Specifically, according to XRD patterns and SEM images, the main crystalline structure of ZnO was not destroyed after doping, but growth of ZnO crystals was inhibited by doping BiOBr. Meanwhile, the optical properties of the composites were measured by the diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The band gap of composites was also calculated using the classical Tauc equation and it was found to be around 3.0 eV. In the test of photocatalytic activation, the ZnO-BiOBr photocatalysts exhibited high photocatalytic efficiencies in the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible-light irradiation. It was ascribed to not only the small size of crystalline, but also the reduction in the recombination rate of the photogenerated carriers for the enhancement effect of p-n heterojunction. This work sheds light on improving the photocatalytic performance by establishing the heterojunction and contributes to the development of a commercially competitive photocatalyst.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/747024
spellingShingle Xiangchao Meng
Lingyun Jiang
Weiwen Wang
Zisheng Zhang
Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of BiOBr/ZnO Heterojunction Semiconductors Prepared by Facile Hydrothermal Method
International Journal of Photoenergy
title Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of BiOBr/ZnO Heterojunction Semiconductors Prepared by Facile Hydrothermal Method
title_full Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of BiOBr/ZnO Heterojunction Semiconductors Prepared by Facile Hydrothermal Method
title_fullStr Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of BiOBr/ZnO Heterojunction Semiconductors Prepared by Facile Hydrothermal Method
title_full_unstemmed Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of BiOBr/ZnO Heterojunction Semiconductors Prepared by Facile Hydrothermal Method
title_short Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of BiOBr/ZnO Heterojunction Semiconductors Prepared by Facile Hydrothermal Method
title_sort enhanced photocatalytic activity of biobr zno heterojunction semiconductors prepared by facile hydrothermal method
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/747024
work_keys_str_mv AT xiangchaomeng enhancedphotocatalyticactivityofbiobrznoheterojunctionsemiconductorspreparedbyfacilehydrothermalmethod
AT lingyunjiang enhancedphotocatalyticactivityofbiobrznoheterojunctionsemiconductorspreparedbyfacilehydrothermalmethod
AT weiwenwang enhancedphotocatalyticactivityofbiobrznoheterojunctionsemiconductorspreparedbyfacilehydrothermalmethod
AT zishengzhang enhancedphotocatalyticactivityofbiobrznoheterojunctionsemiconductorspreparedbyfacilehydrothermalmethod