Abstrait

Facile Synthesis of TiO2/Bi2O3 Heterojunctions for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Water Contaminants

Prisca Yvette Ayekoe, Didier Robert and Droh Lanciné Goné

Semiconductor photocatalysis is an advanced oxidation process for the degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater. TiO₂ is an excellent photocatalyst under UV light but it absorbs only a small fraction of visible light. One way in which to extend its light absorption spectra is to couple TiO₂ with a narrow band gap semi-conductor like β-Bi₂O₃. Indeed, the low value of the band gap thus located (2.3 eV) means that they can absorb a greater part of the visible light than the titanium dioxide alone. The aim of this work is to optimize the facile synthesis of β-Bi₂O₃/TiO₂-P25 heterojunctions and to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the prepared composites in regard to the photodegradation of Orange II under visible and UV light.