Synthesis of novel flower-like PtCo–Bi2MoO6 photocatalysts with enhanced visible light photocatalytic performance

Abstract

A novel PtCo/Bi₂MoO₆ composite photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by loading PtCo alloy nanoparticles via a simple polyol reduction method. The as-prepared PtCo/Bi₂MoO₆ composite exhibits an enhanced photocatalytic performance for the degradation of RhB under visible-light irradiation. Among various PtCo/Bi₂MoO₆ composites with different contents of PtCo, the 1 wt% PtCo–Bi₂MoO₆ sample shows the highest photocatalytic activity and its degradation constant is 5 times higher than that of pure Bi₂MoO₆. Through photocatalytic experiments, the fabricated PtCo/Bi₂MoO₆ composite demonstrated that it can efficiently promote the separation efficiency. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results confirm the composition of the PtCo alloy in the composite catalysts. TOC measurement also suggests that RhB is easily mineralized. SPS measurements illustrate that the high activity of PtCo–Bi₂MoO₆ could be attributed to its better ability to grab photoexcited electrons compared with Pt–Bi₂MoO₆. Based on experimental results, we propose a possible photocatalytic mechanism of PtCo–Bi₂MoO₆, which may provide a theoretical basis for future research.