Dual plasmons-promoted electron-hole separation for direct Z-scheme Bi3O4Cl/AgCl heterojunction ultrathin nanosheets and enhanced photocatalytic-photothermal performance

The dual plasmons (Bi, Ag)-based direct Z-scheme Bi3O4Cl/AgCl heterojunction ultrathin nanosheets are successfully synthesized by hydrothermal combined with solid-state reduction strategy. The plasmons Ag and Bi are formed during solid-state reduction process, which are firmly anchored on surface of Bi3O4Cl and AgCl, respectively, and favors the charge transfer obviously. Experiments results confirm the formation of heterojunction ultrathin nanosheets with the main size of 200∼300 nm and the thickness of <10 nm. The obtained dual plasmons-based direct Z-scheme Bi3O4Cl/AgCl heterojunction ultrathin nanosheets with the band gap of ∼1.66 eV exhibit excellent photothermal performance. 98.3% of Cr (VI) can be photocatalytic reduced and TOC removal rate of ceftriatone sodium reached 98.9% within 210 min, respectively. Due to the surface plasma resonance, the catalyst temperature increases obviously, indicating the enhanced photothermal performance, which is favorable for promoting the photocatalytic performance. Moreover, the cyclic stability experiment also proves the high stability and has advantages in practical applications. The excellent property can be ascribed to the direct Z-scheme accelerating charge transfer and prolonging the lifetimes, the dual plasmons enhancing photothermal performance and the spatial separation of photogenerated charge carriers.