Highly efficient and stable Au/Bi2MoO6/Bi2WO6 heterostructure with enhanced photocatalytic activity for NO gas removal under visible light irradiation

The ternary composite photocatalyst Au/Bi2MoO6/Bi2WO6 has been successfully synthesized by a facile hydrothermal process and microwave-assisted chemical reduction method for the first time. A series of characterization results reveal that Au nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed on the surface of Bi2MoO6/Bi2WO6 microspheres. The unique photocatalytic performance of the novel composite material is evaluated by the photocatalytic removal of NO gas at ppb levels under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic removal rate of NO gas in the presence of Au/Bi2MoO6/Bi2WO6 sample is the highest, which directly attributes to the effective separation of photoinduced charge carriers through the formation of the heterojunction and the Schottky junction at the interface between Au nanoparticles and Bi2MoO6 or Bi2WO6. Additionally, it is indicated that the h + and play indispensable role in photocatalytic process by free radicals trapping experiments and the oxidation products of NO gas on the surface of the catalysts are nitrate by drawing the standard curve of total N content in nitrate. Meanwhile, a possible mechanism for the photocatalytic activity enhancement of the Au/Bi2MoO6/Bi2WO6 composites is proposed. These results demonstrate that the Au/Bi2MoO6/Bi2WO6 photocatalyst is a promising candidate for indoor air purification under solar light irradiation.