Roles of BiOCl(001) in face-to-faced BiOI(010)/BiOCl(001) heterojunction

In order to have an insight into the internal electric field (IEF) of BiOCl(001), we design a novel wide-spectrum responsive BiOI(010)/BiOCl(001) heterojunction composite by a facile method. The system could shield the photocatalysis of BiOCl(001) under visible light due to its large E_g (3.41 eV), thus specifying role of the BiOCl(001) in BiOI(010)/BiOCl(001). The XRD and TEM results show that the composites exhibit a coexistence of both tetragonal BiOI(010) and BiOCl(001) phases. The as-prepared BiOI(010)/BiOCl(001) samples exhibit higher BET surface area than those of BiOI(010) and BiOCl(001). The UV, visible, and simulated sunlight photocatalytic activities of composites for methyl orange (MO) were greatly enhanced compared to either pure BiOI(010) or BiOCl(001). Especially, under the visible light, an enhancement of photocatalytic activity (MO, acid fuchsin) was found for BiOI(010)/BiOCl(001), suggesting an IEF of BiOCl(001) plays a key role on the photo-generated carrier separation of BiOI(010). Specifying the IEF role of BiOCl(001) in BiOI(010)/BiOCl(001) is expected to inspire the further exploration, developing efficient photocatalysts with potential applications.