Synthesis of BiPO4/Bi2S3 Heterojunction with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity under Visible-Light Irradiation

BiPO4/Bi2S3 photocatalysts were successfully synthesized by a simple two-step hydrothermal process, which involved the initial formation of BiPO4 rod and then the attachment of Bi2S3 through ion exchange. The as-synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-vis DRS). It was found that BiPO4 was regular rods with smooth surfaces. However, BiPO4/Bi2S3 heterojunction had a rough surface, which could be attributed to the attachment of Bi2S3 on the surface of BiPO4 rods. The BiPO4/Bi2S3 composite exhibited better photocatalytic performance than that of pure BiPO4 and Bi2S3 for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light. The enhanced photocatalytic performance could be ascribed to synergistic effect of BiPO4/Bi2S3 heterojunction, in which the attached Bi2S3 nanoparticles could improve visible-light absorption and the BiPO4/Bi2S3 heterojunction suppressed the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Our work suggested that BiPO4/Bi2S3 heterojunction could be a potential photocatalyst under visible light.