Ag Nanoparticles Supported on h‑BN/BiPO4 Heterostructures as a Photocatalyst for the Degradation of Rhodamine B

With increasing environmental pollution, the utilization of green techniques, such as photocatalysis, is required to degrade harmful sources without secondary pollution. In this study, we synthesized an efficient photocatalyst, i.e., a h-BN/BiPO4 heterostructure modified by Ag nanoparticles at the interface (Ag/BN/BPO) by photodeposition and a hydrothermal method, and investigated photocatalytic degradation performance for rhodamine B dye (RhB). It was found that 95% of RhB was removed by Ag/BN/BPO (optimal ratio) after 60 min of light exposure. Compared to BiPO4 and BN/BiPO4, the removal efficiency was improved by 50 and 30%, respectively. The high photocatalytic degradation activity of Ag/BN/BPO could be possibly attributed to the synergistic effect of the improved separation efficiency of electron–hole pairs by the special heterostructure design and the increased adsorption capacity due to the large specific surface area of the layered h-BN. This study provided a possible route for the development of highly efficient photocatalysts for the degradation of organic pollutants.