Enhancing the visible light absorption and charge separation of Bi 2 WO 6 by hybridizing a CuTCPP sensitizer

In order to utilize solar light more efficiently, a Bi 2 WO 6 photocatalyst was sensitized by Cu( ii ) meso -tetra (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (CuTCPP). The obtained CuTCPP/Bi 2 WO 6 composite exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity in the degradation of an organic pollutant, rhodamine B (RhB), under simulated solar light irradiation as well as visible light beyond the absorption edge of Bi 2 WO 6 ( ? > 450 nm). The enhancement of the photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the sensitization effect of CuTCPP, which increased the visible-light harvesting, as well as the well-matched overlapping band structures between CuTCPP and Bi 2 WO 6 , which facilitated the separation of photo-generated electron–hole pairs. Therefore, the CuTCPP/Bi 2 WO 6 nanohybrid may be used as a promising photocatalyst in environmental remediation.