Construction of Z-scheme BiOBr/COF-1 heterojunction photocatalyst for simultaneous removal of rhodamine B and Cr(VI) pollutants

A Z-scheme BiOBr/COF-1 heterojunction was synthesized via a solvothermal method. • The catalyst exhibited enhanced visible-light absorption and charge separation. • A mechanism for the simultaneous removal of RhB and Cr(VI) was revealed. The construction of heterojunctions is commonly employed to boost the separation efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers and the overall photocatalytic performance. In this study, a novel Z -scheme BiOBr/COF-1 heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized via a facile solvothermal method. Comprehensive characterization confirmed the effective formation of the heterojunction, which exhibited enhanced visible-light absorption and improved separation efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers. Compared with pristine COF-1 and BiOBr, the optimized BiOBr/COF-1 composite (BC-1) demonstrated superior photocatalytic activity for both rhodamine B (RhB) degradation and Cr(VI) reduction. Notably, the reduction efficiency of Cr(VI) was significantly enhanced in a coexisting system of RhB and Cr(VI). In addition, BiOBr/COF-1 exhibited good structural stability over multiple reaction cycles. This work provides an effective strategy for designing Z -scheme photocatalysts to treat complex wastewater containing organic and heavy metal pollutants. Download: Download high-res image (339KB) Download: Download full-size image