Visible-Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue by Yb3+-Doped 3D Nanosheet Arrays BiOI Anchored on High-Chloride Fly Ash Composites

Qiu, Shuxian; Zhao, Danhua; Luo, Runtong; Liu, Xiaohong; Yang, Jianping; Xie, Lijun; Gao, Xingyuan; Jiang, Liaochuan

doi:10.3390/inorganics13050147

Open AccessArticle

Visible-Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue by Yb³⁺-Doped 3D Nanosheet Arrays BiOI Anchored on High-Chloride Fly Ash Composites

by

Shuxian Qiu

^1,2,†,

Danhua Zhao

^1,2,†,

Runtong Luo

¹,

Xiaohong Liu

¹,

Jianping Yang

^1,2,

Lijun Xie

^1,2,

Xingyuan Gao

^1,2,*

and

Liaochuan Jiang

^1,2,*

¹

School of Chemistry and Material Science, Guangdong University of Education, Guangzhou 510730, China

²

Research Center for Environmental Materials and Resource Utilization, Guangdong University of Education, Guangzhou 510730, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Inorganics 2025, 13(5), 147; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13050147

Submission received: 21 March 2025 / Revised: 25 April 2025 / Accepted: 2 May 2025 / Published: 6 May 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Inorganic Nanomaterials for Energy Conversion and Catalysis Applications)

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Abstract

A Yb³⁺-doped BiOI 3D nanosheet array composite was successfully fabricated through a solvothermal deposition strategy on flexible carbon cloth (CC). This composite was subsequently integrated with high-chlorine fly ash (FA) blocks to form the Yb-BiOI/CC/FA hybrid material. Comprehensive characterization was performed using multiple analytical techniques for crystalline phase identification, morphological analysis, valence state, band structure evaluation, and charge carrier separation assessment. Electrochemical measurements were conducted to evaluate the material’s electronic properties. Experimental results demonstrated superior photocatalytic performance under visible light irradiation, with the Yb-BiOI/CC/FA composite achieving 52.87% methylene blue degradation efficiency. The reaction rate constant of this modified nanomaterial was approximately 2.1 times higher than that of pristine BiOI/CC/FA. Radical trapping experiments revealed that superoxide radicals (·O₂⁻) served as the predominant oxidative species. This study presents a dual-benefit strategy for environmental remediation by simultaneously achieving sustainable waste valorization of industrial byproducts (FA) and developing high-efficiency photocatalytic materials. The successful integration of rare-earth metal modification with substrate engineering provides valuable insights for designing advanced photocatalytic systems for pollutant degradation.

Keywords: BiOI; flexible carbon cloth; ytterbium doping; high-chlorine fly ash; visible-light photocatalysis

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MDPI and ACS Style

Qiu, S.; Zhao, D.; Luo, R.; Liu, X.; Yang, J.; Xie, L.; Gao, X.; Jiang, L. Visible-Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue by Yb³⁺-Doped 3D Nanosheet Arrays BiOI Anchored on High-Chloride Fly Ash Composites. Inorganics 2025, 13, 147. https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13050147

AMA Style

Qiu S, Zhao D, Luo R, Liu X, Yang J, Xie L, Gao X, Jiang L. Visible-Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue by Yb³⁺-Doped 3D Nanosheet Arrays BiOI Anchored on High-Chloride Fly Ash Composites. Inorganics. 2025; 13(5):147. https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13050147

Chicago/Turabian Style

Qiu, Shuxian, Danhua Zhao, Runtong Luo, Xiaohong Liu, Jianping Yang, Lijun Xie, Xingyuan Gao, and Liaochuan Jiang. 2025. "Visible-Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue by Yb³⁺-Doped 3D Nanosheet Arrays BiOI Anchored on High-Chloride Fly Ash Composites" Inorganics 13, no. 5: 147. https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13050147

APA Style

Qiu, S., Zhao, D., Luo, R., Liu, X., Yang, J., Xie, L., Gao, X., & Jiang, L. (2025). Visible-Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue by Yb³⁺-Doped 3D Nanosheet Arrays BiOI Anchored on High-Chloride Fly Ash Composites. Inorganics, 13(5), 147. https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13050147

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Visible-Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue by Yb³⁺-Doped 3D Nanosheet Arrays BiOI Anchored on High-Chloride Fly Ash Composites

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