Facile synthesis of oxygen-deficient BiOBr Cl1− solid solutions for efficient photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants

In this study, a series of oxygen-deficient BiOBrxCl1−x (x = 0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9, 1) solid solution photocatalysts by the microwave hydrothermal method. By changing the Br/Cl molar ratio, the light absorption edge of BiOBrxCl1−x was effectively red-shifted from 345 to 430 nm. The performance of BiOBr0.3Cl0.7 solid solution catalyst showed the best photocatalytic duty for the degradation of norfloxacin (NOR) and methyl orange (MO). The degradation rate of NOR reached 90.2% within 50 min (catalyst dosage: 20 mg), whereas that of MO reached 82.7% within 30 min (catalyst dosage: 5 mg). Environmental factors affecting the degradation of NOR by BiOBr0.3Cl0.7 (such as pH, type of inorganic anions, amount of catalyst, and concentration of NOR) were discussed in detail. The presence of oxygen vacancies (OVs) was confirmed by electron spin resonance (ESR) experiments. Furthermore, free radical capture and ESR experiments identified the main active free radicals involved in the degradation of NOR over BiOBr0.3Cl0.7. Finally, a possible photocatalytic degradation mechanism was proposed.