Synthesis of Bi/Bi2O2SiO3/Bi2WO6 Composites with Enhanced Visible Light Activity in Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Compounds

Bi/Bi2O2SiO3/Bi2WO6 composite photocatalysts were synthesized via a simple reduction method with using ethylene glycol (EG) as reducing agent. Compared to the pure semiconductor, Bi/Bi2O2SiO3/Bi2WO6 showed the highest photoactivity in degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) under visible light. The enhanced phtocatalytic performance can be primarily attributed to the improved visible light absorption and the effective separation of the charge carries by introducing Bi2O2SiO3 and Bi produced surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect, which is confirmed by UV–Vis diffuse refectance spectroscopy (DRS) and the photoelectrochemical measurements. In addition, cycle experiments explored the reliable stability and reusability for catalyst. Moreover, radical species trapping experiments demonstrated that holes (h+) played crucial role in photodegradation process. This study may help promote the development of eliminate organic pollutants and environmental protection.