Accelerating Charge-Carrier Dynamics via Boron Doping in Bi ₂ YO ₄ Cl Nanosheets for Efficient Visible-Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline Hydrochloride

The sluggish charge-carrier dynamics during photocatalytic reactions represent a practical obstacle restricting the development and application of Bi 2 YO 4 Cl (BY) photocatalysts. To address this issue, herein, boron (B)-doped BY nanosheets were synthesized via a facile one-step hydrothermal approach and employed for the degradation of organic pollutants. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experimental results confirm that B-doping significantly enhances carrier kinetics, facilitating efficient charge separation and subsequent transfer. Meanwhile, B-doping leads to a downshift of the valence band maximum (VBM) of BY, thereby enhancing the oxidizing capability of the photogenerated holes. As a result, the B-doped BY nanosheets exhibit excellent visible-light photocatalytic performance toward tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) degradation, with a rate constant of 0.019 min –1, which is 2.8 times higher than that of undoped BY. This work provides deeper insights into the intrinsic relationship among doping, charge-carrier dynamics, and photocatalytic performance.