All-inorganic TiO₂/Cs₂AgBiBr₆ composite as highly efficient photocatalyst under visible light irradiation

Abstract

In recent years, limited photocatalysis efficiency and wide band gap have hindered the application of TiO₂ in the field of photocatalysis. A leading star in photocatalysis has been revealed as lead-free Cs₂AgBiBr₆ double halide perovskite nanocrystals, owing to its strong visible light absorption and tunable band gap. In this work, this photocatalytic process was facilitated by a unique TiO₂/Cs₂AgBiBr₆ composite, which was identified as an S-cheme heterojunction. TiO₂/Cs₂AgBiBr₆ composite was investigated for its structure and photocatalytic behavior. The results showed that when the perovskite dosage is 40%, the photocatalytic rate of TiO₂ could be boosted to 0.1369 min^–1. This paper discusses and proposes the band gap matching, carrier separation, and photocatalytic mechanism of TiO₂/Cs₂AgBiBr₆ composites, which will facilitate the generation of new ideas for improving TiO₂’s photocatalytic performance.

Key words： Cs₂AgBiBr₆ nanocrystals; visible-light photocatalyst; Cs₂AgBiBr₆/TiO₂ heterojunction

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support from National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 52073164, 52103088), and Innovation Capability Support Program of Shaanxi (Program No. 2021TD-16).

References

1 Reverberi A P, Varbanov P, Vocciante M, Fabiano B. Bismuth oxide-related photocatalysts in green nanotechnology: a critical analysis. Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2018, 12(4): 878–892

2 Yan H, Yang H. TiO₂-g-C₃N₄ composite materials for photocatalytic H₂ evolution under visible light irradiation. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2011, 509(4): 26–29

3 Yang J, Liu X, Cao H, Shi Y, Xie Y, Xiao J. Dendritic BiVO₄ decorated with MnO_x co-catalyst as an efficient hierarchical catalyst for photocatalytic ozonation. Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2019, 13(1): 185–191

4 Fujishima A, Honda K. Electrochemical photolysis of water at a semiconductor electrode. Nature, 1972, 238(5358): 37–38

5 Lu J, Lan L, Liu X T, Wang N, Fan X. Plasmonic Au nanoparticles supported on both sides of TiO₂ hollow spheres for maximising photocatalytic activity under visible light. Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2019, 13(4): 665–671

6 Chen C, Xin X, Zhang J, Li G, Zhang Y, Lu H, Gao J, Yang Z, Wang C, He Z. Few-layered MoS₂ nanoparticles loaded TiO₂ nanosheets with exposed {001} facets for enhanced photocatalytic activity. Nano, 2018, 13(11): 1850129

7 Tellam J, Zong X, Wang L. Low temperature synthesis of visible light responsive rutile TiO₂ nanorods from TiC precursor. Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2012, 6(1): 53–57

8 Wang T, Yue D, Li X, Zhao Y. Lead-free double perovskite Cs₂AgBiBr₆/RGO composite for efficient visible light photocatalytic H₂ evolution. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2020, 268: 118399

9 Feng H J, Deng W, Yang K, Huang J, Zeng X C. Double perovskite Cs₂BBiX₆ (B = Ag, Cu; X = Br, Cl)/TiO₂ heterojunction: an efficient Pb-free perovskite interface for charge extraction. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2017, 121(8): 4471–4480

10 Fan Q, Biesold-McGee G V, Ma J, Xu Q, Pan S, Peng J, Lin Z. Lead-free halide perovskite nanocrystals: crystal structures, synthesis, stabilities, and optical properties. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2020, 59(3): 1030–1046

11 Lyu B, Guo X, Gao D, Kou M, Yu Y, Ma J, Chen S, Wang H, Zhang Y, Bao X. Highly-stable tin-based perovskite nanocrystals produced by passivation and coating of gelatin. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2021, 403: 123967

12 Fan Q, Wei S, Ma J, Zhang W, Wen L. Water-driven boost in the visible light photocatalytic performance of Cs₂ AgBiBr₆ double perovskite nanocrystals. Journal of Materials Chemistry. A, Materials for Energy and Sustainability, 2022, 10(28): 14923–14932

13 Chen J, Ma J, Fan Q, Zhang W. An eco-friendly metal-less tanning process: Zr-based metal organic frameworks as novel chrome-free tanning agent. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2023, 382: 135263

14 He Z, Tang Q, Liu X, Yan X, Li K, Yue D. Lead-free Cs₂AgBiBr₆ perovskite with enriched surface defects for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Energy & Fuels, 2021, 35(18): 15005–15009

15 Yang B, Chen J, Yang S, Hong F, Sun L, Han P, Pullerits T, Deng W, Han K. Lead-free silver-bismuth halide double perovskite nanocrystals. Angewandte Chemie, 2018, 130(19): 5457–5461

16 Nguyen V Q, Mady A H, Mahadadalkar M A, Baynosa M L, Kumar D R, Rabie A M, Lee J, Kim W K, Shim J J. Highly active Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst of anatase TiO₂ octahedra covered with C-MoS₂ nanosheets for efficient degradation of organic pollutants under solar light. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2022, 606: 337–352

17 García-Contreras L A, Flores-Flores J O, Arenas-Alatorre J Á, Chávez-Carvayar J Á. Synthesis, characterization and study of the structural change of nanobelts of TiO₂ (H₂Ti₃O₇) to nanobelts with anatase, brookite and rutile phases. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2022, 923: 166236

18 Torane A, Ubale A, Kanade K, Pagare P. Photocatalytic dye degradation study of TiO₂ material. Materials Today: Proceedings, 2021, 43: 2738–2741

19 Bai S, Liu H, Sun J, Tian Y, Chen S, Song J, Luo R, Li D, Chen A, Liu C C. Improvement of TiO₂ photocatalytic properties under visible light by WO₃/TiO₂ and MoO₃/TiO₂ composites. Applied Surface Science, 2015, 338: 61–68

20 Ni L, Wang T, Wang H, Wang Y. An anaerobic-applicable Bi₂MoO₆/CuS heterojunction modified photocatalytic membrane for biofouling control in anammox MBRs: generation and contribution of reactive species. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2022, 429: 132457

21 Huang Y, Kang S, Yang Y, Qin H, Ni Z, Yang S, Li X. Facile synthesis of Bi/Bi₂WO₆ nanocomposite with enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2016, 196: 89–99

22 Zhang Y, Fu F, Zhou F, Yang X, Zhang D, Chen Y. Synergistic effect of RGO/TiO₂ nanosheets with exposed (001) facets for boosting visible light photocatalytic activity. Applied Surface Science, 2020, 510: 145451

23 Ma Q, Hu X, Liu N, Sharma A, Zhang C, Kawazoe N, Chen G, Yang Y. Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified Ag/Ag₂O/Ag₃PO₄/Bi₂WO₆ photocatalyst film with enhanced efficiency and stability under solar light. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2020, 569: 101–113

24 Zhang S, Tang F, Liu J, Che W, Su H, Liu W, Huang Y, Jiang Y, Yao T, Liu Q, Wei S. MoS₂-coated ZnO nanocomposite as an active heterostructure photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution. Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 2017, 137: 104–107

25 Chen B, Lu W, Xu P, Yao K. Potassium poly(heptazine imide) coupled with Ti₃C₂ MXene-derived TiO₂ as a composite photocatalyst for efficient pollutant degradation. ACS Omega, 2023, 8(12): 11397–11405

26 Barzegar M H, Sabzehmeidani M M, Ghaedi M, Avargani V M, Moradi Z, Roy V A, Heidari H. S-scheme heterojunction g-C₃N₄/TiO₂ with enhanced photocatalytic activity for degradation of a binary mixture of cationic dyes using solar parabolic trough reactor. Chemical Engineering Research & Design, 2021, 174: 307–318

27 Ruan X, Cui X, Cui Y, Fan X, Li Z, Xie T, Ba K, Jia G, Zhang H, Zhang L, Zhang W, Zhao X, Leng J, Jin S, Singh D J, Zheng W. Favorable energy band alignment of TiO₂ anatase/rutile heterophase homojunctions yields photocatalytic hydrogen evolution with quantum efficiency exceeding 45.6%. Advanced Energy Materials, 2022, 12(16): 2200298

28 Hasan J, Li H, Tian G, Qin C. Fabrication of Cr₂S₃-GO-TiO₂ composite with high visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity on degradation of organic dyes. Chemical Physics, 2020, 539: 110950

29 Wang Y, Lu N, Luo M, Fan L, Zhao K, Qu J, Guan J, Yuan X. Enhancement mechanism of fiddlehead-shaped TiO₂-BiVO₄ type II heterojunction in SPEC towards RhB degradation and detoxification. Applied Surface Science, 2019, 463: 234–243

30 Xu D, Ma H. Degradation of rhodamine B in water by ultrasound-assisted TiO₂ photocatalysis. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2021, 313: 127758

31 Cao X, Zhang L, Guo C, Chen T, Feng C, Liu Z, Qi Y, Wang W, Wang J. Ni-doped CdS porous cubes prepared from prussian blue nanoarchitectonics with enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2022, 47(6): 3752–3761

32 Zhao W, Zhang J, Zhu F, Mu F, Zhang L, Dai B, Xu J, Zhu A, Sun C, Leung D Y. Study the photocatalytic mechanism of the novel Ag/p-Ag₂O/n-BiVO₄ plasmonic photocatalyst for the simultaneous removal of BPA and chromium(VI). Chemical Engineering Journal, 2019, 361: 1352–1362

33 Hou J, Yang Y, Zhou J, Wang Y, Xu T, Wang Q. Flexible CdS and PbS nanoparticles sensitized TiO₂ nanotube arrays lead to significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance. Ceramics International, 2020, 46(18): 28785–28791

34 Mitchell E, Law A, Godin R. Experimental determination of charge carrier dynamics in carbon nitride heterojunctions. Chemical Communications (Cambridge), 2021, 57(13): 1550–1567

35 Chu S, Hu Y, Zhang J, Cui Z, Shi J, Wang Y, Zou Z. Constructing direct Z-scheme CuO/PI heterojunction for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water under solar driven. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2021, 46(13): 9064–9076

36 Karamian E, Sharifnia S. Hydrogen evolution using CdWO₄ modified by BiFeO₃ in the presence of potassium iodide: a combination of photocatalytic and non-photocatalytic water splitting. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2019, 44(47): 25717–25729

37 Zong X, Yan H, Wu G, Ma G, Wen F, Wang L, Li C. Enhancement of photocatalytic H₂ evolution on CdS by loading MoS₂ as cocatalyst under visible light irradiation. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2008, 130(23): 7176–7177

38 Jang J S, Kim H G, Lee J S. Heterojunction semiconductors: a strategy to develop efficient photocatalytic materials for visible light water splitting. Catalysis Today, 2012, 185(1): 270–277

39 Chun W J, Ishikawa A, Fujisawa H, Takata T, Kondo J N, Hara M, Kawai M, Matsumoto Y, Domen K. Conduction and valence band positions of Ta₂O₅, TaON, and Ta₃N₅ by UPS and electrochemical methods. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2003, 107(8): 1798–1803

40 Guo F, Shi W, Wang H, Han M, Li H, Huang H, Liu Y, Kang Z. Facile fabrication of a CoO/gC₃N₄ p-n heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability for tetracycline degradation under visible light. Catalysis Science & Technology, 2017, 7(15): 3325–3331

41 Pinaud B A, Chen Z, Abram D N, Jaramillo T F. Thin films of sodium birnessite-type MnO₂: optical properties, electronic band structure, and solar photoelectrochemistry. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2011, 115(23): 11830–11838

42 Yang J, Chen D, Zhu Y, Zhang Y, Zhu Y. 3D–3D porous Bi₂WO₆/graphene hydrogel composite with excellent synergistic effect of adsorption-enrichment and photocatalytic degradation. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2017, 205: 228–237

43 Dehghan S, Jafari A J, FarzadKia M, Esrafili A, Kalantary R R. Visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of metalaxyl by reduced graphene oxide/Fe₃O₄/ZnO ternary nanohybrid: influential factors, mechanism and toxicity bioassay. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A Chemistry, 2019, 375: 280–292

44 Luo J, Ning X, Zhan L, Zhou X. Facile construction of a fascinating Z-scheme AgI/Zn₃V₂O₈ photocatalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline under visible light irradiation. Separation and Purification Technology, 2021, 255: 117691

45 Xu Q, Zhang L, Cheng B, Fan J, Yu J. S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst. Chem, 2020, 6(7): 1543–1559

46 Mahmoud Idris A, Zheng S, Wu L, Zhou S, Lin H, Chen Z, Xu L, Wang J, Li Z. A heterostructure of halide and oxide double perovskites Cs₂AgBiBr₆/Sr₂FeNbO₆ for boosting the charge separation toward high efficient photocatalytic CO₂ reduction under visible-light irradiation. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2022, 446: 137197