Simulated sunlight photocatalytic degradation of aqueous p-nitrophenol and bisphenol A in a Pt/BiOBr film-coated quartz fiber photoreactor.

Pt/BiOBr film-coated quartz fiber bundles were prepared by dip-coating combined with photodeposition, and their phase and chemical structures, electronic and optical properties, textural properties as well as morphologies were well-characterized. The simulated sunlight photocatalytic performance including activity and stability of the as-prepared Pt/BiOBr film was evaluated in a self-made quartz fiber photoreactor by selecting two typical light-insensitive organic pollutants, p-nitrophenol (PNP) and bisphenol A (BPA), as the target compounds. Since the quartz fiber bundles served as both the support for Pt/BiOBr films and the medium of light propagation, Pt/BiOBr film-coated quartz fiber bundles exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity due to their enhanced light harvesting ability. In addition, the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the Pt/BiOBr film is explained based on the results of photoelectrochemistry and free radical and hole scavenging experiments.