BiOBr/MoS2 catalyst as heterogenous peroxymonosulfate activator toward organic pollutant removal: Energy band alignment and mechanism insight

Bofan Zhang; Mutian Zhang; Liang Zhang; Paul A Bingham; Manabu Tanaka; Wen Li; Shiro Kubuki

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2021.03.066

BiOBr/MoS₂ catalyst as heterogenous peroxymonosulfate activator toward organic pollutant removal: Energy band alignment and mechanism insight

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2021 Jul 15:594:635-649. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.03.066. Epub 2021 Mar 19.

Authors

Bofan Zhang¹, Mutian Zhang², Liang Zhang³, Paul A Bingham⁴, Manabu Tanaka⁵, Wen Li², Shiro Kubuki⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry/Applied Chemistry, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan. Electronic address: 15054218031@163.com.
² School of Material Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.
³ College of Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, China.
⁴ College of Business, Technology and Engineering, Sheffield Hallam University, Howard Street, Sheffield S1 1WB, UK.
⁵ Department of Chemistry/Applied Chemistry, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan.

PMID: 33780767
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.03.066

Abstract

Utilization of heterogenous catalysts to trigger peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation is considered an efficient strategy for environmental decontamination. Herein, a tightly bonded flake-like 2D/2D BiOBr/MoS₂ heterojunction was successfully designed through co-precipitation process. By virtue of matched energy levels and intimate interfacial coupling, the Type-II BiOBr/MoS₂ heterojunction significantly expedited charge carrier transfer and thereby promoted the catalytic performance for organic dye oxidation and Cr(VI) reduction. The specially designed BiOBr/MoS₂ heterojunction is also conducive to split PMS and continuously generated highly active species (SO₄^-, OH and O₂^-) in a photo-Fenton system, achieving extraordinary catalytic capacity for various emerging organic pollutants (including phenol, bisphenol A and carbamazepine). The photoexcited electron with prolonged lifetime and exposed Mo sites with multivalence and multiphase nature can effectively activate PMS, which further promotes the oxidation efficiency of holes, as confirmed by scavenging experiments. The excellent stability and oxidative properties could justify scale up using BiOBr/MoS₂ to a small pilot test, implementing the potential value in practical applications. This study would provide novel insight and cognition of PMS activation via a superior heterojunction for complex polluted wastewater treatment.

Keywords: Aromatic organic pollutants; Peroxymonosulfate; Photo-Fenton; Reactive species; Type-II heterojunction.