Ag Nanoparticles Supported on h-BN/BiPO 4 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.