Incorporation of Hydroquinone in the Synthesis of BiTiO-TiO Contributes to Higher Efficiency of Hydroquinone Degradation: Preparation, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Mechanism.

In this paper, Bi-doped hydroquinone (HDQ) molecularly imprinted TiO (Bi-HDQ-TiO) with the synthesis of BiTiO-TiO as the main ingredient was developed. Using HDQ as an imprinted molecule, Bi(NO)-5HO was introduced into the synthesis of Bi-HDQ-TiO, which revealed that bismuth oxide was protected by HDQ in the temperature range of 0-450 °C, and during the gradual increase of the temperature up to 550 °C, the HDQ eluted completely, then the surrounding TiO was nucleated by bismuth oxide and bonded with the bismuth oxide, causing all of them to be transformed into BiTiO. The excited electrons of the catalyst could be transported efficiently in various surface interfaces, meanwhile inhibiting the complexation of photogenerated carriers, thereby improving the efficiency of photocatalysis. A degradation efficiency of 96.35% of HDQ was achieved under 30 min UV irradiation, indicating that the candidate material has a promising future application in environmental purification or human health.