An Advanced Semimetal–Organic Bi Spheres–g-C3N4 Nanohybrid with SPR-Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic Performance for NO Purification

To achieve efficient photocatalytic air purification, we constructed an advanced semimetal-organic Bi spheres-g-C3N4 nanohybrid through the in-situ growth of Bi nanospheres on g-C3N4 nanosheets. This Bi-g-C3N4 compound exhibited an exceptionally high and stable visible-light photocatalytic performance for NO removal due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) endowed by Bi metal. The SPR property of Bi could conspicuously enhance the visible-light harvesting and the charge separation. The electromagnetic field distribution of Bi spheres involving SPR effect was simulated and reaches its maximum in close proximity to the Bi particle surface. When the Bi metal content was controlled at 25%, the corresponding Bi-g-C3N4 displayed outstanding photocatalytic capability and transcended those of other visible-light photocatalysts. The Bi-g-C3N4 exhibited a high structural stability under repeated photocatalytic runs. A new visible-light-induced SPR-based photocatalysis mechanism with Bi-g-C3N4 was proposed on the basis of the DMPO-ESR spin-trapping. The photoinduced electrons could transfer from g-C3N4 to the Bi metal, as revealed with time-resolved fluorescence spectra. The function of Bi semimetal as a plasmonic cocatalyst for boosting visible light photocatalysis was similar to that of noble metals, which demonstrated a great potential of utilizing the economically feasible Bi element as a substitute for noble metals for the advancement of photocatalysis efficiency.