S-Scheme BiOCl/MoSe2 Heterostructure with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity for Dyes and Antibiotics Degradation under Sunlight Irradiation

Abstract

Semiconductor photocatalysis is considered to be a promising technique to completely eliminate the organic pollutants in wastewater. Recently, S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts have received much attention due to their high solar efficiency, superior transfer efficiency of charge carriers, and strong redox ability. Herein, we fabricated an S-scheme heterostructure BiOCl/MoSe2 by loading MoSe2 nanosheets on the surface of BiOCl microcrystals, using a solvothermal method. The microstructures, light absorption, and photoelectrochemical performances of the samples were characterized by the means of SEM, TEM, XRD, transient photocurrents, electrochemical impedance, and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The photocatalytic activities of BiOCl, MoSe2, and the BiOCl/MoSe2 samples with different MoSe2 contents were evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange (MO) and antibiotic sulfadiazine (SD) under simulated sunlight irradiation. It was found that BiOCl/MoSe2 displayed an evidently enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to single BiOCl and MoSe2, and 30 wt.% was an optimal loading amount for obtaining the highest photocatalytic activity. On the basis of radical trapping experiments and energy level analyses, it was deduced that BiOCl/MoSe2 follows an S-scheme charge transfer pathway and •O2−, •OH, and h+ all take part in the degradation of organic pollutants.