Improving visible-light-driven photocatalytic NO oxidation over BiOBr nanoplates through tunable oxygen vacancies

In this work, a series of BiOBr nanoplates with oxygen vacancies (OVs) were synthesized by a solvothermal method using a water/ethylene glycol solution. The number of OVs and facets of BiOBr were tuned by changing the water/ethylene glycol ratio. Although the role of OVs in photocatalysis has been investigated, the underlying mechanisms of charge transfer and reactant activation remain unknown. To unravel the effect of OVs on the reactant activation and photocatalytic NO oxidation process, in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, so-called DRIFTS, and theoretical calculations were performed and their results combined. The photocatalytic efficiency of the as-prepared BiOBr was significantly increased by increasing the amount of OVs. The oxygen vacancies had several effects on the photocatalysts, including the introduction of intermediate energy levels that enhanced light absorption, promoted electron transfer, acted as active sites for catalytic reaction and the activation of oxygen molecules, and facilitated the conversion of the intermediate products to the final product, thus increasing the overall visible light photocatalysis efficiency. The present work provides new insights into the understanding of the role of OVs in photocatalysts and the mechanism of photocatalytic NO oxidation.