Enhanced photocatalytic activity of AgCl/BiOCl heterostructures synthesized by a one-pot combustion method

AgCl/BiOCl heterostructures were synthesized by a simple one-pot combustion method. The as-synthesized photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy , and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Photodegradation experiments show that the AgCl/BiOCl heterostructures exhibit better photocatalytic properties than pure BiOCl sample to degrade rhodamine B. The 15% AgCl/BiOCl shows the best photocatalytic performance under the UV light irradiation. The formation of heterostructure improves the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes derived from the coupling effect of BiOCl and AgCl heterojunction.