Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B pollutants by Ag-deposited Bi5O7I

Bi 5 O 7 I was considered as a promising photocatalyst due to its unique structure. However, the recombination rate of electron–hole pairs generated by Bi 5 O 7 I is too fast, making it impossible for practical applications. In this study, Bi 5 O 7 I catalysts deposited with various amount of silver were manufactured and their photocatalytic efficiency for rhodamine B (RhB) was measured. It was found that Bi 5 O 7 I with a silver deposition of 15% (named as Bi 5 O 7 I/Ag-15) exhibits the highest catalytic performance, with a degradation rate of 97.34% for RhB after illumination for 90 min. The cyclic test results confirmed that Bi 5 O 7 I/Ag-15 still maintained high photocatalytic activity after six cycles of degradation. In addition, Bi 5 O 7 I/Ag-15 also exhibits an excellent photocatalytic performance in acidic or alkaline environments, indicating its potential for practical applications. A reasonable degradation mechanism for RhB photocatalysis was then proposed. Graphical abstract