The effect of halogen on BiOX (X = Cl, Br, I)/Bi2WO6 heterojunction for visible-light-driven photocatalytic benzyl alcohol selective oxidation

We developed a simple X − -assisted (X = Cl, Br, I) one-pot hydrothermal reaction to successfully synthesize a series of BiOX/Bi 2 WO 6 heterojunction. The effect of different halogens and their addition amount on the photocatalytic performance of BiOX/Bi 2 WO 6 composites was investigated using benzyl alcohol selective oxidation under visible-light irradiation. All BiOX could enhance the photocatalytic activity of Bi 2 WO 6 , but the BiOBr was the optimum for the maximum improvement of Bi 2 WO 6 . The match of energy band structure between BiOX and Bi 2 WO 6 resulted in the highly efficient separation of photogenerated charges, which was mainly attributed to their fundamental distinction of the photocatalytic activity. This work clarified the essential distinction in photocatalytic performance of the different halogen of BiOX/Bi 2 WO 6 heterojunction, and also provided guidance for the construction of efficient heterojunction photocatalysts.