Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a ubiquitous chlorinated organic contaminant in groundwater and soil throughout the United States. Exposure to trichloroethylene has been linked to adverse effects on human health, including liver, kidney, and endocrine diseases. In this presentation, we describe the synthesis and characterization of palladium (Pd) decorated bismuth vanadate/bismuth oxyhalides (BiOX, X = Cl, Br, or I) heterostructured photocatalysts. The BiVO4/BiOX photocatalysts were synthesized by a surfactant-assisted low-temperature hydrothermal approach. Palladium nanodomains were subsequently deposited on the surface of the materials to improve the electron-hole separation and charge carrier transfer. The efficiency of the bare and palladium-decorated photocatalysts was evaluated in the photocatalytic degradation of TCE under simulated sunlight irradiation. The bare BiVO4/BiOCl and BiVO4/BiOBr demonstrated 60 % degradation of the TCE in 20 h. The integration of palladium nanodomains in the ternary composite Pd@BiVO4/BiOCl increases the efficiency of the photocatalyst significantly with complete degradation of TCE in 16 h. Pd@BiVO4/BiOCl nanocomposite demonstrated promising photocatalytic activity for the degradation of persistent organic pollutants.

Photocatalytic degradation of Trichloroethylene by Palladium-Decorated BiVO4/BiOX heterostructured Photocatalysts

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ACS Fall 2022

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