Rationally Designed BiMO (M = Mo/W) Photocatalysts with Significantly Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity.

Novel BiWO and BiMoO with irregular polyhedron structure were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Compared to ordinary BiWO and BiMoO, the modified structure of BiWO and BiMoO were observed, which led to an enhancement of photocatalytic performance. To investigate the possible mechanism of enhancing photocatalytic efficiency, the crystal structure, morphology, elemental composition, and optical properties of BiWO, BiMO, BiWO, and BiMoO were examined. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy revealed the visible-light absorption ability of BiWO, BiMO, BiWO, and BiMoO. Photoluminescence (PL) and photocurrent indicated that BiWO and BiMoO pose an enhanced ability of photogenerated electron-hole pairs separation. Radical trapping experiments revealed that photogenerated holes and superoxide radicals were the main active species. It can be conjectured that the promoted photocatalytic performance related to the modified structure, and a possible mechanism was discussed in detail.