Controllable synthesis of Sn-doped BiOCl for efficient photocatalytic degradation of mixed-dye wastewater under natural sunlight irradiation

Abstract A new type of Sn-doped BiOCl photocatalyst was prepared by a simple pH-dictated route in a controllable fashion. The as-synthesized Sn-doped BiOCl catalysts were well characterized with the aid of various techniques to probe their crystallographic, morphological, chemical and optical properties. Photocatalytic capacities of the prepared Sn-doped BiOCl catalysts synthesized under different conditions have been investigated by the degradation of dye wastewater under natural sunlight irradiation, where Rhodamine B and mixed dye wastewater (Methyl orange, Orange IV and Malachite Green) were used. Our results indicated that the pH value during synthetic process imposed a crucial effect on the structure and photocatalytic properties of as-fabricated catalysts. In particular, investigations of photocatalytic stability and cycling performance were carried out by employing our representative catalyst.