Preparation and evaluation of a hierarchical Bi2MoO6/MSB composite for visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance

Lu Cai; Yarui Zhou; Zhen Wang; Jinlong Chen; Lili Ji; Jian Guo; Yaning Wang; Wendong Song; Jianshe Liu

doi:10.1039/c9ra06559h

Preparation and evaluation of a hierarchical Bi₂MoO₆/MSB composite for visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance

RSC Adv. 2019 Nov 22;9(65):38280-38288. doi: 10.1039/c9ra06559h. eCollection 2019 Nov 19.

Authors

Lu Cai¹, Yarui Zhou², Zhen Wang³, Jinlong Chen⁴, Lili Ji⁵, Jian Guo⁶, Yaning Wang⁵, Wendong Song⁴, Jianshe Liu¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Environmental and Science Technology, Donghua University Shanghai 201620 China liujianshe@dhu.edu.cn.
² College of Naval Architecture and Mechanical-Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang Ocean University Zhoushan 316022 China.
³ College of Marine Science and Technology, Zhejiang Ocean University Zhoushan 316022 China.
⁴ College of Petrochemical and Energy Engineering, Zhejiang Ocean University Zhoushan 316022 China.
⁵ Institute of Innovation & Application, Zhejiang Ocean University Zhoushan 316022 China.
⁶ College of Food and Medical, Zhejiang Ocean University Zhoushan 316022 China.

Abstract

In this study, waste mussel shells were used to remove dyes in aqueous solution. Mussel shell was prepared into mussel shell biochar (MSB), which was used as a carrier to support Bi₂MoO₆. A novel Bi₂MoO₆/MSB composite photocatalyst was developed by the hydrothermal synthesis method. The as-synthesized sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N₂ adsorption-desorption method, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). Then, the photocatalytic activity of the prepared samples was determined by testing the photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible-light (λ > 420 nm) irradiation. The pre exfoliated layered MSB was an excellent supporting matrix for the growth of Bi₂MoO₆ nanoflakes. The obtained hierarchical Bi₂MoO₆/MSB composites exhibited significantly enhanced performance for photocatalytic degradation of RhB compared with pure Bi₂MoO₆ under visible light irradiation because of the improved electron-hole pair separation, which boosted the number of exposed catalytic active sites. Moreover, the Bi₂MoO₆/MSB composite photocatalyst is of good stability and reusability.