Construction of a flower-like CeO₂/sheet-like BiOCl Z-scheme heterojunction for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic degradation and antibacterial activity

A flower-like CeO₂/BiOCl Z-scheme heterojunction was constructed for efficient charge separation. • The catalyst degraded 99.6% RhB (600 mg/L), 93.3% CR (100 mg/L), and 90.3% TC (10 mg/L) under visible-light irradiation. • The photocatalyst achieved 98.9% antibacterial efficiency against E. coli . • DFT, ESR, and trapping experiments confirmed the Z-scheme charge-transfer mechanism. The construction of Z-scheme heterojunctions is an effective strategy for enhancing photocatalytic performance by promoting charge separation while maintaining a robust redox capacity. In this study, we present a flower-like CeO₂/flake-like BiOCl heterojunction (designated as 2-BC) synthesized using a simple method. 2-BC demonstrated remarkable efficacy in degrading high concentrations of Rhodamine B (RhB, 600 mg/L, 99.6%) and efficiently removed Congo Red (CR, 100 mg/L, 93.3%) and Tetracycline (TC, 10 mg/L, 90.3%). Additionally, it exhibited exceptional antibacterial activity, with a kill rate of 98.9% against Escherichia coli ( E. coli) under illumination, and notable stability, retaining 83.5% of its initial activity after five cycles. The superior performance of 2-BC was attributed to a Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism, which was supported by density functional theory calculations and radical trapping experiments. This mechanism ensures efficient charge carrier separation while preserving strong redox potentials in both semiconductors, thereby enhancing the generation of active species (•O₂⁻, h⁺, and •OH). Our findings suggest that 2-BC is a stable and highly efficient Z-scheme photocatalyst with significant potential for the treatment of organic and biological pollutants in aquatic environments. Download: Download high-res image (198KB) Download: Download full-size image