Synthesis of BiOCl/Bi2O3 Composite and its Photocatalytic Activity Under Visible Light

  • Mr Myonghak Jong, Department of Chemistry, Inha University, Incheon, South Korea, Korea
  • Mr Yongjoo Kim, Department of Chemistry, Inha University, Incheon, South Korea, Korea
  • Prof Wanin Lee, Department of Chemistry, Inha University, Incheon, South Korea, Korea

    • A junction structure between BiOCl and Bi2O3 were prepared by one-step procedure. The synthetic procedure is simple, low cost and the BiOCl/Bi2O3 system is safe for the environment. The mole ratio of BiOCl in Bi2O3 particles was controlled to 0-100 % by the added HCl molarity. It was found that the photocatalytic efficiency of BiOCl/Bi2O3 was considerably higher than that of TiO2 (Degussa P25) under a visible light. The structures and the optical properties as well as their photocatalytic activities were characterized for the several BiOCl/Bi2O3 composite in different composition and annealed at different temperature. The junction structure with 65 mol % BiOCl, heat-treated at 60 ºC, provided the highest efficiency in decomposing terephtalic acid in aqueous solution. On the other hand, the junction structure with 75 mol % BiOCl, annealed at 250 ºC, provided the optimum photocatalytic efficiency under visible range in decomposing gaseous 2-propanol. A photocatalytic mechanism for the BiOCl/Bi2O3 working under visible light has been proposed in the present work.