Synthesis and characterization of novel PPy/Bi2O2CO3 composite with improved photocatalytic activity for degradation of Rhodamine-B

• A new photocatalyst PPy/Bi2O2CO3 was synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method.
• The PPy/Bi2O2CO3 photocatalyst shows enhanced degradation activity of RhB under UV light irradiation.
• A photocatalytic mechanism is proposed based on the synergistic effect of PPy and Bi2O2CO3.

Photocatalyst Bi2O2CO3 modified by polypyrrole (PPy) was synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method. As-prepared PPy/Bi2O2CO3 composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Presence of PPy did not affect the crystal structure, but exerted great influence on the photocatalytic activity of Bi2O2CO3 and enhanced absorption band of pure Bi2O2CO3. The photocatalytic activities of the PPy/Bi2O2CO3 samples were determined by photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine-B (RhB) under ultra violet (UV) irradiation and 0.75 wt.% PPy/Bi2O2CO3 composite showed the highest photocatalytic activity. The enhanced photocatalytic performance could be attributed to the synergistic effect of PPy and Bi2O2CO3. A possible photocatalytic mechanism of the PPy/Bi2O2CO3 photocatalysts was proposed in order to guide the further improvement of its photocatalytic performance.