Facile Green Synthesis of BiOBr Nanostructures with Superior Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activity

Novel green bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr-G) nanoflowers were successfully synthesized via facile hydrolysis route using an Azadirachta indica (Neem plant) leaf extract and concurrently, without the leaf extract (BiOBr-C). The Azadirachta indica leaf extract was employed as a sensitizer and stabilizer for BiOBr-G, which significantly expanded the optical window and boosted the formation of photogenerated charge carriers and transfer over the BiOBr-G surface. The photocatalytic performance of both samples was investigated for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) and phenol (Ph) under the irradiation of visible light. The leaf extract mediated BiOBr-G photocatalyst displayed significantly higher photocatalytic activity when compared to BiOBr-C for the degradation of both pollutants. The degradation rate of MO and Ph by BiOBr-G was found to be nearly 23% and 16% more when compared to BiOBr-C under visible light irradiation, respectively. The substantial increase in the photocatalytic performance of BiOBr-G was ascribed to the multiple synergistic effects between the efficient solar energy harvesting, narrower band gap, high specific surface area, porosity, and effective charge separation. Furthermore, BiOBr-G displayed high stability for five cycles of photocatalytic activity, which endows its practical application as a green photocatalyst in the long run.