Preparation and characterization of Bi2S3/3DOM-TiO2 for efficient photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B

A serial of Bi2S3/3DOM-TiO2 (x-BS/3D-Ti, x denotes as the weight percentage of Bi2S3, x = 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 wt%) were fabricated and their physico-chemical properties were characterized with the utilization of XRD, SEM, UV–Vis DRS and XPS. The photocatalytic performance was investigated based on photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) solution under simulated solar irradiation. The mechanisms for enhancing the photocatalytic activity and the degradation of RhB occurring on the BS/3D-Ti surface were discussed. The results indicated that 20-BS/3D-Ti exhibited the highest photocatalytic performance among the prepared samples. Although good adsorption property of BS/3D-Ti for RhB could promote the degradation of RhB, effective separation between photoinduced electron and hole was the key influencing factor compared to adsorption. The slightly reducing in the photocatalytic degradation rates after multiple cycles was caused by the adsorption of the oxidation intermediate product of RhB on the surface of BS/3D-Ti, which decreases the absorption of light.