Preparation and photocatalytic performance of Cd(OH)2/BiOCl composite materials

BiOCl is a good photocatalyst, but the easy recombination of photo generated electron-hole pairs limits its application in the field of photocatalysis. Cd(OH)2/BiOCl composite materials were prepared by one-step hydrothermal method, and its photocatalytic performance was investigated with Rhodamine B(RhB) as the degradation target. The composite materials were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, XPS, PL, ESR, UV-Vis DRS and other methods. It was found that the composite materials of Cd(OH)2/BiOCl exhibited a sheet-like spherical flower-like structure, and the introduction of Cd(OH)2 generated new energy levels in the composite material, with enhanced charge separation and transport capabilities, and significantly suppressed the recombination of photo generated electron-hole pairs, which improved the photocatalytic performance of the composite materials. Under 300 W xenon lamp irradiation, the removal rate of RhB by Cd(OH)2/BiOCl composite materials increased by 15.36% compared to pure BiOCl. After 5 cycles of utilization, the removal rate of RhB by the composite materials could still be maintained at 70%. The free radical scavenging experiment showed that the activity order of free radicals was O2·->h+>·OH, with O2·- being the main active substance.