Structural tuning of BiOI toward Bi\(_{2}\)O\(_{3}\)/AgI heterostructures via room-temperature ion exchange for improved photocatalytic activity

Varunya ATIMAYULERD; Sorawit  THUEANBANGYANG; Kittiyaporn  SINGSUMPHAN; Ganyaporn  WONGWAEN; Cheewita  SUWANCHAWALIT; Montri AIEMPANAKIT

doi:10.55713/jmmm.v35i4.2402

Authors

Varunya ATIMAYULERD Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Thailand
Sorawit THUEANBANGYANG Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Thailand
Kittiyaporn SINGSUMPHAN Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Thailand
Ganyaporn WONGWAEN Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Thailand
Cheewita SUWANCHAWALIT Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Thailand
Montri AIEMPANAKIT Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Thailand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55713/jmmm.v35i4.2402

Keywords:

BiOI-derived materials, Ion exchange synthesis, Heterojunction photocatalyst, Visible-light photodegradation, Indigo carmine

Abstract

In this work, a bismuth oxide/silver iodide (Bi₂O₃/AgI) heterojunction photocatalyst was successfully fabricated via a room-temperature ion exchange process using bismuth oxyiodide (BiOI) as a morphology-directing precursor. Building upon our previous work on solvent-modulated BiOI nanostructures, this study employs a chemical transformation route to develop interfacially connected heterostructures while preserving key morphological features. Structural, morphological, and optical characterizations, including X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, provided supporting evidence for the successful formation of Bi₂O₃/AgI heterojunctions with likely close interfacial contact. The optimized Bi₂O₃/AgI composite with a 50:50 mass ratio demonstrated the highest photocatalytic activity, enabling nearly complete degradation of indigo carmine within 30 minutes under visible-light irradiation, clearly outperforming both pristine Bi₂O₃ and AgI. The enhanced performance is attributed to efficient charge carrier separation and improved visible-light absorption enabled by favorable band alignment. These findings highlight the potential of BiOI-based ion-exchange strategies for designing efficient and scalable photocatalysts for environmental remediation.

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