Visible light-driven degradation of tetrabromobisphenol A over heterostructured Ag/Bi5Nb3O15 materials

A mild wet chemical synthesis route, hydrothermal treatment-photodeposition, was developed to obtain a series of heterostructured metallic silver/bismuth niobate (Ag/Bi5Nb3O15) hybrid materials with a single-crystalline orthorhombic layered structure and photoresponse in both the UV and visible light region. As a novel alternative photocatalyst to TiO2, the photocatalytic activity of as-prepared Ag/Bi5Nb3O15 was evaluated by the degradation of an aqueous tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA, a member of thebrominated flame retardant family) under visible light irradiation (400 nm < lambda < 680 nm and 420 nm < lambda < 680 nm). Additionally, the influence of initial pH in the reaction system on TBBPA degradation was investigated. The excellent photocatalytic activity of the Ag/Bi5Nb3O15 materials was explained, and the degradation pathway of an aqueous TBBPA catalyzed by the Ag/Bi5Nb3O15 under the visible light irradiation was proposed.