Enhancement of 3D Bi₂MoO₆ mesoporous spheres photocatalytic performance by vacancy engineering

The three-dimensional Bi₂MoO₆ mesoporous architectures constructed by nanosheets were synthesized through solvothermal method. The photocatalytic efficiency for tetracycline (TC) by the pristine Bi₂MO₆ and the BMO-450 (pristine Bi₂MO₆ was calcined at 450 °C) reached 73% and 90% after 150 min light irradiation, respectively. Compared to the photocatalytic efficiency of pristine Bi₂MoO₆, the BMO-450 exhibited much higher photocatalytic performance owing to the presence of oxygen vacancies obvious change the band structure of BMO-450. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that the presence of oxygen vacancy in the BMO-450 crystal, which endowed it outstanding photocatalytic performance. Moreover, the BMO-450 possess high crystallization degree, mesoporous structure and the decreasing band gap. The excellent photocatalytic performance for the degradation of TC aqueous solutions, which demonstrate that the calcined Bi₂MoO₆ mesoporous spheres would have potential applications in the fields of treating wastewater.