Halide-Tuned Preparation of BiPO 4 /{110}BiOBrxI1−x Nanocomposites for Improved Photocatalytic Degradation of Phenol

BiPO 4 /[Formula: see text]BiOBr x I[Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text], 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1) nanocomposites with [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] heterojunction structure, which predominantly expose the [Formula: see text] facet, were successfully created using a straightforward solvothermal technique. Multiple techniques have been implemented to characterize and analyze the produced photocatalyst. The degradation of phenol was used to assess their photocatalytic effectiveness. The best performing sample was the 5% BiPO 4 /[Formula: see text]BiOBr[Formula: see text]I[Formula: see text] nanocomposites, achieving complete decomposition of phenol within 60[Formula: see text]min. Photocurrent measurements revealed that the enhanced performance is attributable to the creation of the heterojunction and the dominant [Formula: see text] facet, which collectively suppress the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. Furthermore, the heterojunctions’ optical absorption characteristics were tunable by varying the Br/I molar ratio. Superoxide radicals (⋅O[Formula: see text]), holes (h[Formula: see text]) and hydroxyl radicals (⋅OH) were identified as the primary active species responsible for photocatalytic degradation via radical trapping experiments.