Recent advances in enhanced photocatalytic activity of bismuth oxyhalides for efficient photocatalysis of organic pollutants in water: A review

Recently, layered bismuth oxyhalides (BiOX, X = F, Cl, Br and I) have received significant attention as potential photocatalysts for energy and environment applications. However, limited visible light activity and recombination of photogenerated charge carriers limit their applications for photocatalytic water purification. In this review, various strategies such as heterojunction formation, metal/non-metal doping, interface modification, enhancement in Bi content, inner coupling between different BiOX photocatalyst, use of sensitizers and creation of oxygen vacancies was deliberated for improved photocatalytic performance of BiOX. The integration of BiOX with other photocatalysts, mechanism for enhanced activity and conclusive outlook with future challenges was also elaborated.