Ultra-Thin Bi₁₂O₁₇Cl₂ Nanotube In Situ Coupling to AgI Nanoparticles for Enhancing Photocatalytic Degradation of Pollutants

The continuous industrial development has caused a series of water and environmental pollution while accelerating the social progress. One-dimensional AgI/Bi12O17Cl2 nanotube materials are prepared by in situ solvothermal method assisted by pH regulation. Series of characterization have been applied to confirm the existence of AgI in Bi12O17Cl2 nanotube system and the synergistic effect for photocatalytic degradation organic pollutants between AgI and Bi12O17Cl2 nanotube. The results show that the prepared AgI/Bi12O17Cl2-10 composites with AgI theoretical composite value of 10 wt% exhibited the best degradation performance. The degradation efficiency of Rhodamine B within 120 min is 83.52%, and the degradation rate of AgI/Bi12O17Cl2-10 is 2.12 times than that of Bi12O17Cl2 nanotube under the same conditions. The reason for enhanced photocatalytic activity of composites is the formation of type-II heterojunctions between AgI and Bi12O17Cl2. The type-II heterojunctions achieve spatial separation of electrons and holes and improve the utilization of charges, resulting in improved photocatalytic performance of AgI/Bi12O17Cl2 composites. A photocatalytic mechanism of AgI/Bi12O17Cl2 composites is proposed.