A novel oxygen vacancy (OVs) modified Bi 2 MoO 6 /WO 3 hybrid electrode based on the ITO glass was successfully fabricated by a facile two-step hydrothermal and solvothermal method with one calcination process between two reactions. The result exhibited an enhanced optical harvesting and photogenerated electron migration capability. In the degradation process of rhodamine B (RhB), the hybrid electrode showed a better photoelectrocatalytic removal ratio of 80.1% within 4 h under visible light irradiation and 2.0 V bias, which is mainly ascribed to the synergistic promotion of surface OVs, heterostructure and external bias. The optical features and band structures of the composite catalyst were analyzed to give out the possible electrode system mechanism of the PEC degradation process. This work not only constructs a newly designed OVs Bi 2 MoO 6 /WO 3 photoelectrode but also provides some investigations in fabricating and controlling process of photoelectrodes.
Interface engineering has been proven to be a promising strategy for regulating carrier transport. Herein, an interfacial Mo–O–W bond was constructed between Bi2MoO6 nanospheres and WO3 quantum dots. It served as a fast transfer channel for interfacial photogenerated carriers, resulting in the formation of a direct Z-scheme heterojunction. The Z-scheme heterojunction not only maximized the redox ability but also exhibited enhanced separation and transfer efficiency of photogenerated carriers. Thereby, it exhibited excellent degradation activity and reusability for different simulated pollutants (levofloxacin, rhodamine B, and methylene blue) under LED irradiation, and its photocatalytic rate is approximately doubled. Unexpectedly, a considerable amount of H2O2 was formed via a direct one-step two-electron oxygen reduction reaction process, which played a significant role in the photodegradation process, even surpassing the role of electrons/holes as active species. Furthermore, the photodegradation pathway of levofloxacin by the Z-scheme heterojunction was analyzed. This study could provide insights into establishing an interfacial chemical bond, modulating charge transfer, and the photodegradation mechanism.