Synthesis and characterization of Pt/BiOI nanoplate catalyst with enhanced activity under visible light irradiation

A series of Pt/BiOI nanoplate catalysts have been synthesized by a solution combination with photodeposited method at room temperature. The as-synthesized products have been investigated by photocatalytic reaction tests and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL) emission spectroscopy, and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The results show that platinum has important role in promoting the photocatalytic performance of BiOI in degradation of acid orange II in an aqueous solution under visible light (λ > 420 nm) irradiation. The deposition of optimal amount of 0.2 wt% Pt brings about a two-time increase in the photocatalytic performance. The dispersed platinum nanoparticles over BiOI nanoplate could decrease the recombination rate of the e−/h+ pairs, hence promoting the photocatalytic activity.