Functional BiOCl/BiOBr/BiOI ternary heterojunctions for visible-light driven photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants

Nanostructured visible-light-responsive photocatalysts provide a sustainable route for environmental remediation. Despite rapid progress, most of the nanomaterials for photocatalysis require a complex synthesis route or lack catalytic activity in the visible spectrum- problems which are addressed in this article. Specifically, bismuth oxyhalides (BiOCl, BiOBr, BiOI) and ternary Through the use of a co-precipitation technique, BiOCl/BiOBr/BiOI nanocomposites were manufactured and then examined for their structural stability as well as their photocatalytic activity. XRD (X-Ray Diffraction), SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), BET (Brunauer Emmet Teller), UV–Vis (Ultraviolet Visible), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), and PL (Photoluminescence) Spectroscopy analyses revealed that the optimized BiOCl/BiOBr/BiOI (2:1:1) nanocomposite exhibits effective interfacial coupling, reduced charge-carrier recombination, and a narrowed optical band gap. The catalyst that was optimized was able to attain a degradation rate of 93% for methylene blue after 100 min and a degradation rate of 92% for ciprofloxacin within 60 min when exposed to visible light stimulation. Recyclability and trapping experiments demonstrated sustained photocatalytic activity and good surface stability over five successive cycles, indicating resistance to performance degradation in aqueous environments. The results highlight the structure–stability–performance relationship of ternary bismuth oxyhalide systems and their potential as durable functional materials for visible-light-driven environmental applications. Clinical trial registration Not applicable. This study does not involve human participants, patient data, or any clinical interventions and therefore does not constitute a clinical trial.