Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity via MoO2/BiOBr Nanohybrids under Visible and NIR light

Abstract Direct efficient employing of solar energy for environmental treatment is obtaining considerable attention at present, where the efficient utilizing the visible (Vis) and near‐infrared (NIR) light is of utmost importance. Herein, the plasmonic MoO 2 has been firstly employed to enhance photocatalytic activity in visible and near‐infrared light. By loading MoO 2 on BiOBr nanosheets, the plasmonic MoO 2 /BiOBr photocatalysts have been designed and synthesized through simple hydrothermal method. Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of MoO 2 makes the light absorption range of MoO 2 /BiOBr extend near‐infrared light. The MoO 2 /BiOBr nanohybrids display higher photocatalytic performance for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation than that of individual MoO 2 and BiOBr under Vis‐ and NIR‐light illumination. About 98 % and 60 % of RhB is degraded in 40 min under >420 nm and >780 nm light illumination. On the one hand, LSPR of MoO 2 is beneficial for light absorption and utilization. On the other hand, the synergetic effect between MoO 2 and BiOBr facilitates carrier generation, transportation in the interfaces of MoO 2 and BiOBr, and reduce carrier recombination. Moreover, the catalytic activity of MoO 2 /BiOBr nanohybrid almost shows no significant weaken even after five consecutive runs. Our study may open avenues to design the efficient noble metal‐free plasmonic photocatalysts for taking advantage of solar energy efficiently.