Enhancement of photocatalytic activity of Bi2MoO6 by fluorine substitution

The fluorine substitution on Bi2MoO6 (F-Bi2MoO6) can be easily synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Based on the XRD result, it could be speculated that fluorine ion can substitute oxygen ion in the crystal lattice of Bi2MoO6. The photodegradation activity of F-Bi2MoO6 almost is 1.9 times as high as the single Bi2MoO6 for degradation of RhB and 1.7 times for decomposition of 2, 4-CDP under the visible light. The enhanced catalytic activity of F-Bi2MoO6 should be attributed to the wider band gap, the more positive VB potential and the higher concentration of OH radicals due to the F doping. Additionally, F doping formed the donor state below the Fermi energy, which can trap the electrons and increase the efficiency of charge separation remarkably.