In-situ fabrication of Z-scheme Bi3O4Cl/Bi12O17Cl2 heterostructure by facile pH control strategy to boost removal of various pollutants in water

[Display omitted] •Z-scheme Bi3O4Cl/Bi12O17Cl2 heterostructure is prepared by one-pot in-situ method.•A pathway explored to interconvert Bi12O17Cl2 and Bi3O4Cl by pH control strategy.•It shows universal efficient photocatalytic activities for removing various pollutants.•The strong interaction of two materials is in favor of the transport of charges. It is highly desirable to develop an in-situ fabrication route by facile pH control strategy to prepare Z-scheme heterostructure photocatalyst for producing more firm and intimate interfacial interaction, which will be in favor of removing pollutants in water under the visible light. Herein, the new highly-efficient visible-light-driven Z-scheme Bi3O4Cl/Bi12O17Cl2 heterostructure is prepared by in-situ growth method and this research explores a novel pathway to interconvert Bi12O17Cl2 and Bi3O4Cl by facile pH control strategy. The Z-scheme Bi3O4Cl/Bi12O17Cl2 heterostructure exhibits splendid universal photocatalytic degradation activities to degrade various pollutants under visible light irradiation. The Z-scheme heterostructure and the strong interfacial coupling effect produced by in-situ growth of Bi3O4Cl on the surface of Bi12O17Cl2 are the main reasons to enhance photocatalytic performance. Furthermore, the possible photocatalytic reaction mechanisms including migration and transport behaviors of charge carriers, generation process of reactive species and degradation intermediate products of 2, 4-dichlorophenol are revealed in depth. This proposes a novel design concept to prepare highly-efficient, stable and visible-light-driven Z-scheme photocatalyst, which is expected to be widely applied for the universal removal of multiple pollutants in wastewater efficiently.