LAUSR

The heterojunction composites (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)TiO3(BCZT)/Bi2O3 with different weight ratios (75:25, 50:50 and 25:75) were successfully synthesized by solid-state route. As-synthesized composite powders were characterized by XRD, FESEM, EDX, UV–visible and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Photocatalytic activity evaluation was carried out by the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under UV and visible light exposure. The results show that the heterojunction composites BCZT/Bi2O3 display better photocatalytic activity than pure BCZT or Bi2O3. Among all the heterojunction composites, BCZT/Bi2O3 (50:50) composite exhibits a lower recombination rate of electron–hole pair and shows the highest photocatalytic activity. The rate constant of BCZT/Bi2O3 (50:50) composite for RhB degradation is 15.4 and 2.1 times higher than those of pure BCZT and Bi2O3 under visible light irradiation, respectively. Finally, a possible mechanism for enhanced charge separation and photodegradation is proposed.