Surface Engineering of g-C3N4 by Stacked BiOBr Sheets Rich in Oxygen Vacancies for Boosting Photocatalytic Performance

BiOBr containing surface oxygen vacancies (OVs) was prepared by a simple solvothermal method and combined with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) to construct a heterojunction for photocatalytic oxidation of nitric oxide (NO) and reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂). The formation of the heterojunction enhanced the transfer and separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers. Furthermore, the surface OVs sufficiently exposed catalytically active sites, and enabled capture of photoexcited electrons at the surface of the catalyst. Internal recombination of photogenerated charges was also limited, which contributed to generation of more active oxygen for NO oxidation. Heterojunction and OVs worked together to form a spatial conductive network framework, which achieved 63 % NO removal, 96 % selectivity for carbonaceous products (that is, CO and CH₄). The stability of the catalyst was confirmed by cycling experiments and X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy after NO removal.