Rare earth elements (lanthanum, cerium and erbium) doped black oxygen deficient Bi2O3-Bi2O3–x as novel photocatalysts enhanced photocatalytic performance

Novel black oxygen deficient bismuth oxide (Bi 2 O 3 -Bi 2 O 3 – x ) photocatalytic material was successfully prepared by a two zone temperature controlled muffle furnace method. The lanthanum , cerium and erbium ions are successfully doped into Bi 2 O 3 -Bi 2 O 3 – x with the average contents of 10.77 wt%, 7.62 wt% and 8.14 wt%, respectively. The results show that a large number of oxygen vacancies exist in Bi 2 O 3 -Bi 2 O 3 – x . La 3+ , Ce 3+ and Er 3+ act as electron acceptors to temporarily trap the photo-generated electrons. The XPS spectrum show Bi-O band in Bi 2 O 3 -Bi 2 O 3 – x and the O 1s peak of Ce/Bi 2 O 3 -Bi 2 O 3 – x move toward the direction of low binding energy. These phenomena fully prove that the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs will be more effectual, so as to reduce the possibility of charge carrier recombination. The radical scavenging experiments and electron spin resonance detections confirm that the conduction band of the original Bi 2 O 3 can easily receive photogenerated electrons, while the valence band of the modified Bi 2 O 3 -Bi 2 O 3 – x tends to accept photogenerated holes and then forms the circulation system. Therefore, Ce/Bi 2 O 3 -Bi 2 O 3 – x can degrade tetracycline hydrochloride up to 90.15%. This research provides some new insights into developing green and recyclable photocatalysts for the remediation of antibiotic contamination.