Synthesis and enhanced photoreactivity of metallic Bi-decorated BiOBr composites with abundant oxygen vacancies

Herein, a simple one-pot solvothermal strategy was put forward to obtain metal Bi-decorated BiOBr composites (Bi/BiOBr) with abundant oxygen vacancies. The metal Bi (Bi 0 ) can be deposited into the BiOBr surface via reduction of glycerol solvent in solvothermal process. Precipitation of Bi on surface of BiOBr turned the morphologies of BiOBr from regular flower-like hierarchical architectures to scattered sheets with increase of Bi content, enhanced photoabsorption of BiOBr in whole light region. Interestingly, deposition of metallic Bi (Bi 0 ) on the BiOBr surface could lead to formation of abundant surface oxygen vacancies. As-synthesized Bi/BiOBr composites showed better photocatalytic activity for phenol degradation under sunlight irradiation, as compared with that of BiOBr reference. The enhancement of photocatalytic activities for Bi/BiOBr composites can be attributed to the existence of Bi/BiOBr hetero-structure and abundant oxygen vacancies (as active electron trap), which causing efficient separation of electron–hole pairs in Bi/BiOBr composites.