Bi(C6N7O3) Nanospheres: A Novel Homogenous Photocatalyst for Efficient Treatment of Antibiotic in Water

The development of photocatalyst material is vital for the practical application of environmental purification, solar energy conversion, and chemical production. In this work, a spherical Bi(C6N7O3) photocatalyst is successfully prepared by replacing K+ of rod-shaped K3[C6N7O3] with Bi3+ ions through the ion exchange method, which demonstrates an improved homogeneous photodegradation efficiency over antibiotics in water compared to pristine K3[C6N7O3]. Under visible light irradiation, Bi(C6N7O3) degraded 81% of tetracycline hydrochloride within 60 min, and the rate constant was 1.8 and 79.1 times greater than K3[C6N7O3] and bulk g-C3N4, respectively. Scavenger experiments revealed that superoxide radicals and holes are the primary active species in the photocatalytic process. This study presents a promising route for designing high-performance visible-light photocatalysts by a simple ion-exchange approach for environmental applications.