A ternary photocatalyst of all-solid-state Z-scheme TiO₂–Au–BiOBr for efficiently degrading various dyes

To construct Z-scheme not only can effectively separate the excited electron-hole pairs, but also utilize the ample redox capability of each semiconductor component in this system for the surface photocatalytic reaction. In this work, a TiO₂–Au–BiOBr ternary Z-scheme photocatalyst was constructed, in which Au NPs were used as the electron mediator to join BiOBr nanosheets and TiO₂ nanofibers. The results showed that, under full spectrum irradiation, TiO₂–Au–BiOBr nanofibers exhibited outstanding photocatalytic performance toward the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) with an excellent photodegradation efficiency of 99.91% within 30 min as well as good stability. The reaction mechanism of the TiO₂–Au–BiOBr Z-scheme system was systemically studied by XPS, photoelectrochemical tests and free radical trapping experiments, etc. Moreover, the photocatalyst also exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for degrading methyl orange and methylene blue.