Facile synthesis of Fe(2)O(3) nanoparticles anchored on Bi(2)MoO(6) microflowers with improved visible light...

Constructing novel semiconductor heterojunctions is emerging as one of the efficient methods to develop excellent photocatalysts. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of Bi₂MoO₆ microflowers decorated by Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles as an efficient visible-light-driven photocatalyst via a simple solvothermal precipitation-calcination method. The as-prepared Fe₂O₃/Bi₂MoO₆ heterojunctions were systematically characterized by using several techniques. The photocatalytic properties of these heterojunctions were estimated by degrading rhodamine B (RhB) and para-chlorophenol (4-CP) under visible light (λ>400nm). They showed much higher photocatalytic activity than pure Fe₂O₃ or Bi₂MoO₆. The heterojunction with Fe/Bi molar ratio of 0.2 presented the highest activity. The RhB degradation rate constant was about 4.8 times or 3.8 times higher than that of Bi₂MoO₆ or a mechanical mixture of Fe₂O₃ and Bi₂MoO₆. The remarkable enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to the effective suppression of electron-hole recombination. The photogenerated holes (h⁺) and superoxide radical anions (O₂^-) were found to be the major active species. Fe₂O₃/Bi₂MoO₆ has great potential as an effective and stable visible-light-driven photocatalysts for wastewater treatment.