Addition of bismuth stimulates photocatalysis by UiO-66/TiO2: synergistic effect between Bi3+ and metallic Bi0

Auteurs

Saffari M., Ghorbanloo M., Morsali A., Elmaghrabi H.H., Bezzerga D., Hong J., Howayek T.M., Habchi R., Viter R., Fraisse B., Iatsunskyi I., Coy E., Cornu D., Nada A.A., Bechelany M.

Référence

Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A Chemistry, vol. 471, art. no. 116667, 2026

Description

In this work, innovative Bi⁰-UiO-66/TiO₂-Bi³⁺ photocatalysts were synthesized by electrospinning. The morphological and spectroscopic analyses showed the existence of Bi³⁺ and Bi⁰ (metallic) and also Zr (in the valence states +IV) on the surface of TiO₂ nanofibers (NFs). The band gap decrease from 3.09 eV in pristine TiO₂ to 2.8 eV in Bi-UiO-66/TiO₂ NFs improved the light-harvesting efficiency. Hydrogen production was tested under visible light irradiation using a 500 W linear halogen lamp (420–600 nm) positioned at 10 cm from the reaction solution. Hydrogen production via photocatalysis was increased by 2-fold and 24-fold with Bi⁰-UiO-66/TiO₂-Bi³⁺ (3734 μmolg⁻¹ h⁻¹) compared to UiO-66/TiO₂ and TiO₂ NFs, respectively. This enhancement was attributed to the synergistic effect between Bi⁰ and Bi³⁺ (as predicted also by the density functional theory model) and the improved visible light absorption by Bi⁰. Additionally, the formation of a Bi₂O₃-TiO₂ heterojunction promoted the separation of photoinduced charge carriers. Lastly, the prepared Bi⁰-UiO-66/TiO₂-Bi³⁺ NFs demonstrated high recyclability without photocatalytic activity reduction.

Lien

doi:10.1016/j.jphotochem.2025.116667