C₆₀/Bi₂TiO₄F₂ Heterojunction Photocatalysts with Enhanced Visible-Light Activity for Environmental Remediation

Fullerene (C60)-enhanced Bi2TiO4F2 hierarchical microspheres were prepared by a facile solvothermal method. Compared to the pure Bi2TiO4F2 photocatalyst, the C60/Bi2TiO4F2 samples exhibit much stronger photocatalytic performance for degrading Rhodamine B (RhB) and Eosin Y (EY) under visible light irradiation. Such greatly enhanced photocatalytic activity may be ascribed to strong combination and heterojunctions between C60 and Bi2TiO4F2, favorable for charge separation and light adsorption. Loading C60 on Bi2TiO4F2 results in a new photocatalytic mechanism (based on photo-generated hvb(+) and ·O2(-) radicals) different from that of pure Bi2TiO4F2.