Highly enhanced photoactivity of BiFeO3/Bi2WO6 composite films under visible light irradiation

In this research, the BiFeO3/Bi2WO6 composite photocatalysts were prepared via co-precipitation and hydrothermal methods. The as-prepared photocatalyst powders were coated on a glass substrate by a doctor blade method and calcined at a temperature of 500 degrees C for 1 h to produce films. Intimate contact between BiFeO3 and Bi2WO6 in the composite material, along with sufficient band edge energy offset, facilitates electron transfer from photoexcited BiFeO3 to Bi2WO6. This promotes charge recombination and thereby increasing the probability of reactive radical species generation which can degrade organic materials in the wastewater. Methyl orange (MO) was used as a model dye for testing the photocatalytic activity of all photocatalyst films under visible light irradiation. The obtained results show that the 0.6BiFeO(3)/0.4Bi(2)WO(6) exhibited the best photodegradation efficiency, as compared to the other samples.