Boosting Piezocatalytic Activity of Bi5Ti3FeO15/BiOCl Heterostructured Nanocomposites for Degrading Multiple Dyes and Antibiotics

Constructing a heterostructure is an effective strategy for improving piezocatalytic performance. Here, Bi5Ti3FeO15/BiOCl heterostructured nanocomposites were synthesized to enhance the piezocatalytic performance by the synergy of oxygen vacancy and heterojunction. As expected, the optimized Bi5Ti3FeO15/BiOCl heterostructured nanocomposites exhibited superior piezocatalytic activity toward organic pollutant degradation compared to Bi5Ti3FeO15 and BiOCl. Under ultrasound vibration, rhodamine B (RhB) was degraded by 96% in 20 min, and mixed dyes were degraded by 97% within 30 min by Bi5Ti3FeO15/BiOCl, and the degradation efficiencies were higher than numerous reported piezocatalysts. The Bi5Ti3FeO15/BiOCl catalyst also had efficient removal capability for bisphenol A, tetracycline hydrochloride, and phenol. In addition, RhB, bisphenol A, and tetracycline hydrochloride were also efficiently decomposed by Bi5Ti3FeO15/BiOCl under magnetic stirring, indicating that the catalyst had the capability of harvesting low-frequency mechanical energy. The construction of a heterostructure combined the merits of oxygen vacancy and band structure, which enhanced the absorption of dyes, oxygen, and OH–, improved the separation efficiency of carriers, promoted the formation of radicals, and improved the piezocatalytic activity. This study not only shed light on the design of heterostructure piezocatalyst but also demonstrated that by using mechanical energy, Bi5Ti3FeO15/BiOCl proved to be a promising piezocatalyst for degrading organic pollutants in wastewater.