Facile construction of 3D hierarchical flake ball-shaped γ-AgI/Bi2WO6 Z-scheme heterojunction towards enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance

[Display omitted] •The 3D hierarchical flake ball-shaped γ-AgI/Bi2WO6 photocatalyst was synthesized by a hydrothermal and precipitation method.•The γ-AgI/Bi2WO6 shows high activity for visible-light degradation of Rhodamine B, tetracycline and ciprofloxacin.•Improved visible light absorption, charge separation and redox ability were realized.•The Z-scheme heterojunction was proposed to understand the charge transfer route. In this work, a series of 3D hierarchical γ-AgI/Bi2WO6 (AB) Z-scheme heterojunctions with intimate interface contact was synthesized by facile hydrothermal and precipitation method. The optimal proportion of γ-AgI/Bi2WO6 exhibited superior photocatalytic property during the removal of Rhodamine B (RhB), tetracycline (TC) and ciprofloxacin (CIP). The outstanding photocatalytic capability was probably responsible for the intimate contact among Bi2WO6 flake ball-shaped and γ-AgI nanoparticle, which could heighten the responsive range of visible-light, promote the separation of photo-generated carriers and fully utilize the strong redox ability of composites. Additionally, the function of active species in the photodegradation was also researched through exploiting trapping tests and electron spin resonance experiments to reveal the vital effect of holes (h+) and superoxide anion radicals (O2−). Moreover, the possible Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism with an internal electric field was also proposed. This study spreads an effective strategy for reasonably devising the Bi2WO6-based photocatalytic system to decontaminate multiple pollutants.