Photocatalytic oxidation of gas-phase Hg0 on the exposed reactive facets of BiOI/BiOIO3 heterostructures

Hetero layered BiOI/BiOIO3 composites were fabricated by a simple hydrothermal method. The prepared BiOI/BiOIO3 heterostructures were characterized and evaluated for gas-phase Hg0 oxidation. The photocatalytic activity of the BiOI/BiOIO3 heterostructures was detected under LED light and UV irradiation. Meanwhile, the cycle experiments were carried out to certify the stability of BiOI/BiOIO3 composites. The results showed that BiOI/BiOIO3 photocatalysts were of excellent photocatalyic ability with great efficient in oxidizing Hg0. The Hg0 removal efficiency reached up to 98.53% and 100% under LED light and UV irradiation respectively when the mole ratio of BiOI/BiOIO3 was 3:1. The photocatalytic reaction mechanism was elaborated in detail.