Preparation and Performance of Visible-Light-Driven Bi2O3/ZnS Heterojunction Functionalized Porous CA Membranes for Effective Degradation of Rhodamine B

Photocatalytic degradation is an effective method for fast removal of dye-contaminated water. In the present work, a bismuth oxide/zinc sulfide-cellulose acetate photocatalytic membrane (Bi 2 O 3 /ZnS-CA) is successfully fabricated via the phase-inversion method with a Bi 2 O 3 /ZnS heterojunction as the photocatalyst. The Bi 2 O 3 /ZnS-CA membranes shows high photocatalytic activity in degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible-light irradiation due to the Bi 2 O 3 /ZnS heterojunction structure contributing to the high efficiency of photogenerated charge separation. The photodegradation efficiency of Bi 2 O 3 /ZnS-CA membrane is significantly enhanced (about 30% improvement) and the photodegradation kinetic is four times faster than that of the Bi 2 O 3 -CA and the ZnS-CA membranes. Moreover, the Bi 2 O 3 /ZnS-CA membrane exhibits excellent permeation flux (649.7 L m −2 h −1 ) and high porosity (69.94%). The Bi 2 O 3 /ZnS-CA membrane also shows good adsorption performance of RhB, which could enhance the interaction between RhB and the catalyst. This work provides a new sight to construct highly effective visible-light-driven photocatalytic membranes for continuous organic dye treatment.