LAUSR

Abstract A new bismuth-rich Bi3O4ClxBr1−x solid solution photocatalyst was firstly synthesized through a solid phase conversion method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) were used to characterize the physico-chemial properties of samples. Results demonstrated that Bi3O4Cl0.5Br0.5 had a higher activity than that of Bi3O4X (X = Cl, Br) for photocatalytic NO removal. The valence band XPS and photoelectrochemical analyses, theoretical calculation and scavenger trapping experiment indicated that Bi3O4Cl0.5Br0.5 had higher photocatalytic oxidation ability and effective prohibition the recombination of photo-induced charged carriers. This study suggested that solid solution should be effective approach to improve the photocatalytic activity of bismuth-rich photocatalysts for air purification.