3D Hollow Hierarchical Structures Based on 1D BiOCl Nanorods Intersected with 2D Bi₂WO₆ Nanosheets for Efficient Photocatalysis Under Visible Light

Constructing elaborate catalysts to prompt the charge carrier separation and transport is critical to developing efficient photocatalytic systems. Here, a hierarchical hollow structure based on 1D/2D BiOCl/Bi₂WO₆ hybrid materials was fabricated by a precursor chemical engineering method. This hybrid is made up of molten 1D BiOCl nanorods and 2D Bi₂WO₆ nanosheets. The synergetic effect of the presence of BiOCl and specific interfaces between BiOCl and Bi₂WO₆ provided efficient interfacial charge transfer of photogenerated carriers under visible light. Seamless BiOCl functions like a noble metal, with platinum-like behavior, accelerating the oxidizing ability of fabricated BiOCl/Bi₂WO₆ hybrids, which was favorable for the photocatalytic decomposition of organic compounds (3.2 times greater for Rhodamine B (RhB) and 4 times greater for Ciprofloxacin (CIP)) over the Bi₂WO₆ catalysts. The beneficial interfacial interaction between BiOCl and Bi₂WO₆ resulting from the unique construction prompted the charge transfer from the conduction band of Bi₂WO₆ to that of BiOCl. The findings presented in this study provide a cost-effective precursor-mediated strategy to realize the critical and efficient separation of photoinduced carriers in environmental remediation applications.