Floatable S-scheme Bi2WO6/C3N4/carbon fiber cloth composite photocatalyst for efficient water decontamination

The development of easily recyclable and advanced photosystems is a promising strategy for achieving sustainable water decontamination in industrial applications. In this study, a flexible, floatable, and easily recyclable S-scheme photosystem of oxygen vacancy (OV)-rich Bi2WO6/C3N4/carbon fiber cloth (BWOV/CN/CF) was fabricated via sequential in situ growth of C3N4 and Bi2WO6 with oxygen vacancies on CF cloth. The integrated BWOV/CN/CF photosystem exhibited outstanding photocatalytic decontamination rates for TC (0.0353 min−1) and Cr(VI) (0.0187 min−1), significantly exceeding CN/CF by 0.5 and 30.2 folds, respectively. This appreciable improvement is derived from the unique hierarchical S-scheme heterostructure with OV, which enables the enhanced capability of BWOV/CN/CF in light use and powerful photocarrier detachment, as well as offering abundant active centers. Significantly, the BWOV/CN/CF cloth shows intriguing industrial application prospects owing to its high anti-interference properties, broad pH applicability, good durability, easy recycling and operation, and extensive adaptability for diverse contaminant purification. Furthermore, the photocatalytic TC decomposition process, by-product biotoxicity, and photocatalysis mechanism were systematically evaluated. The ingenious design of floatable cloth-shaped photosystems offers an effective strategy for environmental purification.