Oxygen-vacancy-rich BiOCl with 3D network structure for enhanced photocatalytic CO2 reduction and antibiotic degradation

Background Development of human society has led to various environmental problems and energy crisis. Methods In this paper, Bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) with a 3D network structure was prepared via a simple one-step sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) assisted hydrothermal method and used for CO 2 reduction and antibiotic degradation. Consideration was given to the influence of addition of SDBS in the preparation process on the microscopic morphology and energy band structure of the photocatalyst. Significant findings The results of the present study indicate that the formation of the 3D network structure helps to expose the {001} facets of BiOCl and promotes the generation of more oxygen vacancies. As-prepared BiOCl-0.6, i.e., 0.78 g of Bi(NO 3 ) 3 ·5H 2 O with 0.6 g SDBS, demonstrating the highest photocatalytic reduction performance of CO 2 . The production of CO by BiOCl-0.6 can reach 59.5 and 20.1 µmol g −1 after 4 h of UV-vis/vis illumination, which is ten times higher than the control BiOCl. In addition, BiOCl prepared with a 3D network structure also showed efficient antibiotic (oxytetracycline hydrochloride, OTC) degradation ability. When the initial concentration of OTC was 20 mg/L, OTC was completely removed after 45 min of UV-vis irradiation, and 77.2% of OTC was removed after 90 min of photocatalytic reaction under visible light. In the photodegradation process, photogenerated holes (h + ) and superoxide radical ( · O 2 − ) play an important role.