BiOCl dispersed on NiFe–LDH leads to enhanced photo-degradation of Rhodamine B dye

BiOCl–NiFe–LDH composites were synthesized using NiFe–Cl–LDH and Bi(NO3)3 as precursors and the composites were characterized by XRD, SEM and FTIR. Photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye was tested with BiOCl–NiFe–LDH composite and NiFe–Cl–LDH and BiOCl materials under the same conditions and the composite was found to be superior to both NiFe–Cl–LDH and BiOCl for RhB degradation. The superior performance of the BiOCl–NiFe–LDH composite was related to better dispersion of BiOCl particles on the surface of NiFe–LDH materials. After three-times of recycling, the RhB degradation efficiencies were 93.3%, 90.1% and 87.9% during the first, second and third cycles, respectively. The BiOCl–NiFe–LDH composite prepared here appears to be an efficient and stable composite photocatalyst, which may have potential applications in wastewater treatment field.