Assessment of photocatalytic activity of novel PrBiFeO3 perovskite composites in visible-light photocatalytic decomposition reaction.

In this study, the visible-light photocatalytic reaction properties of perovskite catalysts was investigated with excellent visible-light sensitivity. Titanate-based and ferrite-based perovskites were introduced as light-responsive catalysts. A novel ferrite-based perovskite composite, PrBiFeO3, was synthesized, which demonstrated significantly enhanced light absorption under both visible light and UV illumination. The composite was prepared according to a combined sol-gel and solvothermal method. The newly synthesized PrBiFeO3 exhibited excellent absorption capabilities for both UV and visible light, with a band gap energy of about 2.0 eV. These perovskites showed photocatalytic activity in the decomposition of methylene blue and formaldehyde under visible light LED lamp illumination. Notably, the ferrite-based perovskites, including PrFeO3, displayed better photocatalytic activity under visible light compared to the titanate-based perovskites. The novel PrBiFeO3 composite also produced hydrogen and oxygen through water splitting under artificial sunlight and liquid plasma discharging. The amount of hydrogen produced by photocatalytic water splitting in PrBiFeO3 under liquid plasma irradiation was approximately 50 times higher than that produced under artificial sunlight irradiation.