Enhanced peroxymonosulfate activation by S-scheme AgI/Cu-BiVO4 heterojunction for efficient photocatalytic organics degradation and Microcystis aeruginosa inactivation: Performance, interfacial engineering and mechanism insight

Novel oxygen vacancies-enriched AgI/Cu-BiVO4 (ACBV) S-scheme heterojunction catalysts were constructed to boost photocatalytic organics degradation and M. aeruginosa inactivation with peroxymonosulfate (PMS) assistance. Specific interfacial charge transfer and abundant active centers were guided by introducing Cu doping and AgI coupling into BiVO4, with the catalytic activity and mechanism systematically investigated. The optimal 0.25-ACBV heterojunction exhibited 97.6% tetracycline (TC) degradation under PMS-assisted visible light and achieved effective inactivation of M. aeruginosa within 20 min (78.8%). The S-scheme heterostructure from Cu-BiVO4 to AgI and synergistic effects endowed the system with high-energy carrier transfer kinetics and strong oxygen reduction capability. Meanwhile, the redox cycling of Cu2+/Cu+ and surface oxygen defects served as electron acceptors to accelerate interfacial charge separation and as adsorption activation sites for PMS, promoting efficient mass transfer in the non-homogeneous system. This study inspires the design of high-performance S-scheme photocatalytic activators and expands their potential applications in environmental remediation. [Display omitted] •AgI/Cu-BiVO4 with high carrier separation kinetics and PMS activation was constructed.•Cu2+/Cu+ redox cycling and oxygen defects accelerated PMS mass transfer with carriers.•The AgI/Cu-BiVO4/PMS/Vis system rapidly degrades TC and inactivates M. aeruginosa.•DFT verified S-scheme charge transport from Cu-BiVO4 to AgI and energy band bending.•The mechanisms, pathways and toxicity evolution of TC degradation were revealed.