Novel Bi2O3/NaBi(MoO4)2 heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation

• Novel Bi2O3/NaBi(MoO4)2 heterojunction was prepared via one-step synthesis.
• The Bi2O3 contents in the composites are controllable.
• The catalyst shows enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation.
• The catalyst shows superior photostability.
• The mechanism of enhanced photocatalytic activity was proposed.

A novel Bi2O3/NaBi(MoO4)2 composite photocatalyst with nanostructured heterojunctions was prepared via a simple supercritical method. The products were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The visible light-induced photocatalytic activities were evaluated. The activity of the composite catalyst was 5 and 13 times as much as that of pure NaBi(MoO4)2 and commercial Bi2O3, respectively. The catalyst could be reused more than five times without obvious deactivation. The enhanced photocatalytic performance was attributed to electric-field-assisted charge transfer at the heterojunction interfaces between Bi2O3 and NaBi(MoO4)2 with matching band potentials, which consequently favored an effective photoexcited electron and hole separation.

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