Photocatalytic Performance of BiOCl Nanosheets Composite with Graphene

A series of composites of the high photoactivity of {001} facets exposed BiOCl and grapheme sheets (GS) were synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal reaction. The obtained BiOCl/GS photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The as-prepared BiOCl/GS photocatalyst showed enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under UV and visible light (λ > 400 nm). The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be attributed to oxygen vacancies of the {001} facets of BiOCl/GS and the high migration efficiency of photo-induced electrons, which could suppress the charge recombination effectively.