Synthesis of Ag/BiOBr/CeO2 composites with enhanced photocatalytic degradation for sulfisoxazole

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Jun;29(30):46200-46213. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-17669-y. Epub 2022 Feb 15.

Abstract

A novel Ag/BiOBr/CeO2 composite was successfully prepared for the first time, which had excellent performance in degrading sulfisoxazole (SSX) under visible light irradiation. The as-prepared samples were characterized by SEM, XRD, UV-vis DRS and BET et al. The composite of 10% Ag/BiOBr/CeO2 showed the best photocatalytic activity and more than 99.5% SSX can be removed within 20 min. It exhibited the highest k value of 0.2428 min-1, which was about 39.7 times higher than pure BiOBr (6.11 × 10-3 min-1) and 22.1 times higher than BiOBr/CeO2 (1.09 × 10-2 min-1), respectively. The addition of Ag significantly improved the absorption rate of visible light and the separation rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The initial pH and dosage of samples could have an influence on the photocatalytic activity. The radical trapping experiments proved that ·O2- and h+ were the main active species involved in photocatalytic degradation. Finally, the synthesized catalyst maintained excellent photocatalytic activity after 5 repeated cycles, which indicated the extraordinary stability and recyclability of Ag/BiOBr/CeO2.

Keywords: Ag/BiOBr/CeO2; Degradation mechanism; Influence factors; Photocatalysis; Sulfisoxazole.

MeSH terms

  • Bismuth* / chemistry
  • Catalysis
  • Light
  • Sulfisoxazole*

Substances

  • Sulfisoxazole
  • bismuth oxybromide
  • Bismuth