Dy(III) Doped BiOCl Powder with Superior Highly Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activity for Rhodamine B Photodegradation

Dy-doped BiOCl powder photocatalyst was synthesized A one–step coprecipitation method. The incorporation of Dy(3+) replaced partial Bi(3+) in BiOCl crystal lattice system. For Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation, 2% Dy doped BiOCl possessed highly efficient photocatalytic activity and photodegradation efficiency. The photodegradation ratio of RhB could reach 97.3% after only 30 min of photocatalytic reaction; this was more than relative investigations have reported in the last two years. The main reason was that the 4f electron shell of Dy in the BiOCl crystal lattice system can generate a special electronic shell structure that facilitated the transfer of electron from valance band to conduction band and separation of the photoinduced charge carrier. Apart from material preparation, this research is expected to provide important references for RhB photodegradation in practical applications.