Preparation of a novel flower-like MnO2/BiOI composite with highly enhanced adsorption and photocatalytic activity

A novel flower-like MnO2/BiOI composite has been fabricated by a simple and cost-effective approach. Multiple experiments are carried out to optimize the molar ratio of MnO2/BiOI for the decomposition of methyl orange (MO) and Rhodamine B (RhB). The adsorption property of the as-prepared samples in dark conditions and the photocatalytic activity under visible light and simulated solar light irradiation are investigated in detail. When the MnO2/BiOI molar ratio is 4 : 5, the highest photocatalytic activity for degradation of MO (97.8%) and RhB (91.7%) is achieved under visible light irradiation for 40 min as well as simulated solar light irradiation (93.4% for MO and 88.2% for RhB within 40 min). The excellent photocatalytic performances are attributed to the synergistic effect of BiOI and MnO2 and the unique flower-like morphology of the MnO2/BiOI composite as verified by relative experiments.