Enhanced catalytic properties of BiOCl/Ti₃C₂ catalyst for degradation of organic pollutants in the light irradiation and Fenton-like synergistic system

BiOCl/Ti₃C₂ catalyst was synthesized via a hydrothermal method and combination with self-assembly technology. The crystal phase, microstructure, surface chemical state, and optical properties of BiOCl/Ti₃C₂ catalysts were investigated using XRD, FTIR, SEM/TEM, XPS, and DRS technologies. The enhanced catalytic performance of BiOCl/Ti₃C₂ catalysts were demonstrated by the degradation of the organic pollutants in visible light irradiation/Fenton-like synergistic system. The degradation results revealed that the catalytic degradation efficiency of the BiOCl/Ti₃C₂ catalysts presents the first increasing and then decreasing trend with the rise of Ti₃C₂ content. And the BiOCl/Ti₃C₂ catalyst with 8-wt% Ti₃C₂ exhibited highest degradation efficiency in the light irradiation/Fenton-like synergistic system, whose removal rate of RhB was 97.80% within 10 min, which was significantly higher than that in the sole visible light irradiation (83.58%, 10 min) and that in the sole Fenton-like system (only 3.11%, 10 min). The result verified that the visible light irradiation and Fenton-like system has a positive synergistic effect for enhancing the catalytic efficiency of the BiOCl/Ti₃C₂ catalysts. The influence of environmental conditions such as catalyst dosage, H₂O₂ dosage, and the anions on the catalytic performance were also investigated. The results showed that with the increase of catalyst dosage and H₂O₂ dosage, the rate constant (K value) also increased. The presence of Cl^-1 in the system was advantageous for improving the catalytic degradation efficiency, whereas the presence of CO₃^2- in the system significantly inhibited catalytic degradation efficiency. The degradation mechanism revealed that the existence of Ti₃C₂ in the BiOCl was beneficial for improving the ability of photo-generated charge carrier separation. The active free radicals such as singlet oxygen (¹O₂), superoxide radicals (· \({\text{O}}_{2}^{ - }\) ${\text{O}}_2^{-}$ ), and photo-generated holes (h⁺) plays the main role for organic pollutants degradation.