Magnetic composite BiOCl-SrFe12O19: a novel p-n type heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic activity

• Published in: Dalton transactions : an international journal of inorganic chemistry 2014-02, Vol.43 (5), p.2211-222
• Main Authors: Xie, Taiping, Xu, Longjun, Liu, Chenglun, Yang, Jun, Wang, Mei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1477-9226; 1477-9234
• DOI: 10.1039/c3dt52219a

The magnetic composite BiOCl-SrFe 12 O 19 , a novel p-n type heterojunction was synthesized by hydrolysis with a medium temperature sintering method. The microstructure and magnetic properties of the prepared material were characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, SAED, and VSM. The results showed the [001] facet of BiOCl with high photocatalytic activity was exposed in the BiOCl-SrFe 12 O 19 . The heterostructured BiOCl-SrFe 12 O 19 had better magnetic properties, contributing to its reuse and improvement in photocatalysis. Moreover, the composite was blessed with excellent photocatalytic activity and stability. In the BiOCl-SrFe 12 O 19 system, SrFe 12 O 19 not only inhibited the growth of BiOCl along the [001] direction to enhance the exposure of the [001] wafer, but also acted as a sensitizer absorbing light irradiation. The magnetic field generated from SrFe 12 O 19 made BiOCl, under light irradiation, produce more photo-induced electrons and holes and simultaneously hampered their recombination. For the first time we propose the possible mechanism of how to enhance photocatalytic activity by a magnetic field effect originating from the magnetic photocatalyst itself. The structure and photocatalytic activity of the magnetic photocatalyst BiOCl-SrFe 12 O 19 were characterized. The high photocatalytic activity was interpreted by introducing the magnetic field effect for the first time.