Zn-ion doped BiOBr for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of methyl blue†

In this work, BiOBr photocatalysts doped with zinc ions were manufactured to improve their photocatalytic degradation of methyl blue (MB). Among them, Zn²⁺/BiOBr-8 exhibited the highest photodegradation efficiency of MB after 100 min of illumination. After six-cycle experiments, it was found that its photocatalytic performance remained at a high level. The composition and microstructure of the materials were characterized by techniques such as XRD, FTIR, XPS, SEM, and TEM. The optical properties and the photodegradation performance of the materials were investigated by DRS, PL, photocurrent, and active species trapping experiments. The reasonable mechanism for photocatalytic degradation of MB was proposed.