Application of flexible PAN/BiOBr-Cl microfibers as self-supporting and highly active photocatalysts for nitrogen fixation and dye degradation

Self-supporting chlorine (Cl) doped bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) microfiber photocatalysts was successfully constructed via a simple solvothermal method by utilizing PAN nanofibers as the flexible carrier. Benefited from the high specific surface area, proper band gap, superior light absorption and reduction capacity, the Cl doped BiOBr/PAN microfibers have remarkable photocatalytic performance. The ammonia yield of the PAN/BiOBr-5 %Cl is 234.4 μmol g−1h−1 and the degradation rate of RhB is 91% within 240 min. Meanwhile, the microfiber photocatalyst proves superior stability and reusability though cyclic experiments. More importantly, compared to the traditional suspended nanoparticles, Cl doped BiOBr/PAN microfiber photocatalyst exhibits prominent flexibility and self-supporting property and can be easily separated and recovered from the service environment. This work affords a significant view into the design of excellent recoverable composite fiber materials for photocatalytic nitrogen fixation and pollutant degradation.