TiO2 nanotube arrays decorated with BiOBr nanosheets by the SILAR method for photoelectrochemical sensing of H2O2

The design and construction of a photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor with excellent photoelectric properties and good photoelectrocatalysis activity is significant for the effective detection of analytes. In this paper, based on a two-step anodic oxidation method and successive ionic layer adsorption (SILAR) method, a TiO2 nanotube array (TNT) photoelectrochemical sensor modified with BiOBr nanosheets was constructed and applied for the detection of H2O2 for the first time. The photocurrent of the photoelectrochemical sensor increases with the increase of the H2O2 concentration under the irradiation of an 8 W UV lamp. Excellent linearity was obtained in the concentration range from 10 nM to 100 μM with a low detection limit of 5 nM (S/N = 3). This excellent photoelectrochemical performance is due to the formation of a p-n heterojunction between BiOBr and TiO2 nanotube arrays, which provides efficient separation of charge carriers and accelerates electron transport. Moreover, it is applied to detect H2O2 in milk samples and it showed a good recovery result ranging from 95.73% to 105.65%, which provides a promising new strategy for the detection of H2O2.

A facile template-free synthesis of Bi2Sn2O7 with flower-like hierarchical architecture for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

A novel flower-like structure of Bi₂Sn₂O₇ was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method which showed enhanced photodegradation of tetracycline.

Novel 2D hybrids composed of SnIn4S8 nanoplates on BiOBr nanosheets for enhanced photocatalytic applications

In the last ten years, bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr) has attracted wide attention due to its superior optoelectronic property. However, its practical application still suffers from slow carrier transport and high carrier recombination. Here we report a kind of novel tannum indium sulfide (SnIn4S8)/BiOBr hybrid prepared by a two-step hydrothermal method. The results showed that small amount of SnIn4S8 had no influence on the crystal phase of BiOBr, but the morphology could be regulated from nanosheet to nanoflower. Specially, SnIn4S8 exerted a slight effect on the light absorption and band gap of BiOBr. Importantly, SnIn4S8/BiOBr hybrids exhibited remarkable enhancement of the photocatalytic activity towards the degradation of rhodamin B (RhB) dye molecules. SnIn4S8/BiOBr-0.20 with 99.8% degradation efficiency had the highest photocatalytic activity within 40 min, while it was only 71.1% for pure BiOBr. The enhanced photocatalytic activity was mainly attributed to efficient interfacial transfer and low carrier recombination. This work will help us understand the photocatalytic mechanism of bismuth oxyhalide hybrids.

Z-scheme inverse opal CN/BiOBr photocatalysts for highly efficient degradation of antibiotics

Optimizing the heterojunction structure of semiconductor photocatalysts is vital for utilizing their abilities in organic matter degradation.