Facile synthesis of TiO_2/Bi_2O_3 heterojunctions for the photocatalytic degradation of water contaminants

Semiconductor photocatalysis is n advanced oxidation process for the degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater. TiO₂ is an excellent photocatalyst under UV light but it absorbs only a small fraction f visible light. One way in which to extend its light absorption spectra is to couple TiO₂ with a narrow band gap semi-conductor like B- Bi₂O₃. Indeed, the low value of the band gap thus located (2.3 eV) means that they can absorb a greater part of the visible light than the titanium dioxide alone. The aim of this work is to optimize the facile synthesis of B-Bi₂O₃/TiO₂-P25 heterojunctions and to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the prepared composites in regard to the photodegradation of Orange II under visible and UV light.