Novel BiOCl/BiCl<sub>3</sub>Br–CTA Heterostructure Photocatalyst with Abundant Oxygen Vacancies and a Superoleophilic Surface for Promoting Selective Oxidation of Toluene
Ganhua Qiu, Ting Wang, Xiaoli Li, Xueqin Tao, Benxia Li
Abstract
A heterostructure photocatalyst consisting of BiOCl nanoplates and a bismuth-organic hybrid layer (alias BiCl3Br–CTA) was synthesized through a one-step solvothermal process. The BiOCl/BiCl3Br–CTA heterostructures exhibited broad light absorption and enhanced electron–hole separation efficiency. Moreover, the abundant oxygen vacancies (OVs) and superoleophilic surface endowed the photocatalyst with high abilities for adsorption and activation of O2 and toluene. Therefore, the BiOCl/BiCl3Br–CTA photocatalyst showed excellent activities for the C(sp3)–H bond oxidation of toluene under full-spectrum irradiation and visible light of simulated sunlight, which are 6.8-fold and 237.8-fold, respectively, than those of BiOCl nanoplates. The photocatalytic mechanism was revealed by a series of controlled experiments and in situ ESR detections. The selective oxidation of toluene was promoted by the synergy between the electrons in BiOCl for activating O2 and the holes in the BiCl3Br–CTA layer for activating the C(sp3)–H bonds. This research demonstrates an effective strategy to construct high-activity photocatalysts for challenging organic transformations.