Cu-doped Bi2WO6-x photocatalyst with efficient charge separation ability for enhanced peroxymonosulfate activation

Photocatalysis combined with peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation exhibits a great potential prospect in wastewater purification. Unfortunately, the recombination of photogenerated carriers along with insufficient active sites is a bottleneck problem of PMS activation. Herein, Cu-doped Bi 2 WO 6 with oxygen vacancy (V o ) was synthesized via a one-pot solvothermal method to achieve efficient tetracycline degradation with the assistance of the PMS. By adjusting the Cu(NO 3 ) 2 ·3H 2 O amount, the 3Cu-BWO-V o exhibited an optimal photocatalytic tetracycline (TC) degradation rate of 94%, which was 2.7 times higher than pure Bi 2 WO 6 . Photoluminescence (PL), time-resolved photoluminescence (TR-PL), and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) confirmed that the enhanced catalytic activity was owing to the additional active sites and inhibition of carrier recombination by Cu doping and oxygen vacancy. Cycling experiments further demonstrated the stability and applicability of 3Cu-BWO-V o . This work opens up a new insight into photocatalytic defect engineering and advanced oxidation technology based on PMS for environmental remediation.