Work

Pyrolysis preparation of ZnO/BiOI composite photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic performance

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Photocatalytic degradation has emerged as an effective and practical method for eliminating dyes from contaminated water. In this study, a ZnO/BiOI heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized by the calcination of zinc nitrate and bismuth iodide. The photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) utilizing the as-prepared ZnO/BiOI composite demonstrated that this composite exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to both BiOI and ZnO alone. With the optimized proportion, the ZnO/BiOI-0.5 composite showed the highest rate constant with approximately 31 times higher than that of ZnO and about 142 times higher than that of BiOI. The improved catalytic performance of the composite was due to the formation of a heterojunction structure between ZnO and BiOI. The primary active species identified in this study were superoxide radicals (•O 2 − ), hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and holes (h + ). Moreover, mass spectroscopic analysis and toxicity evaluation were conducted to probe the degradation pathway and toxicity of the degradation intermediates of RhB.

Source: Next Materials

DOI: 10.1016/j.nxmate.2025.101499

Authors: Mengjie Feng, Zhifang Tong, Yan Quan, Meiling Liu, Chunguang Ren, Zhonghua Wang

Institutions: China West Normal University, Yantai University

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques

Subfield: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,280