LAUSR

Abstract Using electrospinning process, the Z-scheme CuBi2O4/Bi2O3 nanocomposite photocatalysts were prepared. The microstructure, composition, and photoelectrochemical performance were studied. The results show that the morphology of nanofibers consisted in α-Bi2O3 and CuBi2O4 changes with the variation of Cu(NO3)2 content and the photoelectrochemical performance of the nanocomposites are better than that of pure α-Bi2O3 and CuBi2O4. The photocatalytic activity of the samples were evaluated. Compared with pure α-Bi2O3 and CuBi2O4, the photocatalytic degradation rate of methyl orange over BCO/BO-2 (Cu:Bi = 1:8) is greatly enhanced, which mainly caused by the formation of Z-scheme heterojunction that can improve the separation rate of photoexcited carries. Apart from this, the introduction of CuBi2O4 that can expand the light absorption range, and the rough surface of composite that can increase the number of active site promote the photocatalytic activity of BCO/BO-2. In addition, the main active species in the photocatalytic process are h+ and ·OH.