Atomic layer deposition of SnO2 and TiO2 on electrodeposited BiOI thin films for efficient light-driven peroxymonosulfate activation
Light-driven peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation is gaining traction as a green advanced oxidation strategy for degrading recalcitrant water pollutants; however, catalyst instability and sluggish charge separation still hinder its practical application. Here, we report for the first time the fabricat...
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Materials & Design |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525007956 |
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| author | Laura Huidobro Mahmoud Abid Haitham Maslouh Arnaud Demore Mikhael Bechelany Elvira Gómez Albert Serrà |
| author_facet | Laura Huidobro Mahmoud Abid Haitham Maslouh Arnaud Demore Mikhael Bechelany Elvira Gómez Albert Serrà |
| author_sort | Laura Huidobro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Light-driven peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation is gaining traction as a green advanced oxidation strategy for degrading recalcitrant water pollutants; however, catalyst instability and sluggish charge separation still hinder its practical application. Here, we report for the first time the fabrication of ALD-engineered BiOI thin-film heterojunctions, coated with nanometric SnO2 or TiO2 layers (∼5 nm) and decorated with Pd nanoparticles (∼2 nm), which simultaneously enhance catalytic activity and stability. The BiOI/SnO2 and BiOI/TiO2 systems exhibit well-defined type-II band alignments, facilitating efficient interfacial charge transfer, while Pd nanoparticles form Schottky junctions that extract photogenerated electrons and mitigate BiOI photocorrosion. Using 20 ppm tetracycline (TC) at pH 7 as a model contaminant, TiO2-BiOI achieved 92.7 % TC removal and 84.8 % total organic carbon (TOC) mineralization within 90 min under UV-A light (365 nm) with 2.5 mM PMS. In contrast, SnO2-BiOI showed superior performance under simulated sunlight (λ > 400 nm), attaining 80.8 % degradation and 76.5 % mineralization. Radical scavenging assays revealed a threefold increase in sulfate and hydroxyl radical production compared to pristine BiOI. Pd modification reduced Bi and I leaching by more than 80 % after 360 min of continuous irradiation and preserved over 95 % of the photocatalytic activity across ten successive reuse cycles. This work establishes a modular ALD-based strategy to design stable semiconductor/oxide/metal nanointerfaces for wavelength-tunable PMS activation. The resulting thin-film catalysts, fabricated on FTO substrates with sub-nanometer precision, offer a scalable platform for solar-driven water purification and expand the material design space for sulfate-radical-based advanced oxidation processes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e1c01fc7fa484deeac0a208570034664 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0264-1275 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Materials & Design |
| spelling | doaj-art-e1c01fc7fa484deeac0a2085700346642025-08-20T03:50:49ZengElsevierMaterials & Design0264-12752025-09-0125711437510.1016/j.matdes.2025.114375Atomic layer deposition of SnO2 and TiO2 on electrodeposited BiOI thin films for efficient light-driven peroxymonosulfate activationLaura Huidobro0Mahmoud Abid1Haitham Maslouh2Arnaud Demore3Mikhael Bechelany4Elvira Gómez5Albert Serrà6Grup d’Electrodeposició de Capes Primes i Nanoestructures (GE-CPN), Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès, 1, Barcelona E-08028 Catalonia, Spain; Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, SpainInstitut Européen des Membranes, IEM, UMR 5635, University of Montpellier, ENSCM, CNRS, Montpellier, FranceInstitut Européen des Membranes, IEM, UMR 5635, University of Montpellier, ENSCM, CNRS, Montpellier, FranceInstitut Européen des Membranes, IEM, UMR 5635, University of Montpellier, ENSCM, CNRS, Montpellier, FranceInstitut Européen des Membranes, IEM, UMR 5635, University of Montpellier, ENSCM, CNRS, Montpellier, France; Functional Materials Group, Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST), Mubarak Al-Abdullah 32093, KuwaitGrup d’Electrodeposició de Capes Primes i Nanoestructures (GE-CPN), Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès, 1, Barcelona E-08028 Catalonia, Spain; Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, SpainGrup d’Electrodeposició de Capes Primes i Nanoestructures (GE-CPN), Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès, 1, Barcelona E-08028 Catalonia, Spain; Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Corresponding author at: Grup d’Electrodeposició de Capes Primes i Nanoestructures (GE-CPN), Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès, 1, Barcelona E-08028, Catalonia, Spain.Light-driven peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation is gaining traction as a green advanced oxidation strategy for degrading recalcitrant water pollutants; however, catalyst instability and sluggish charge separation still hinder its practical application. Here, we report for the first time the fabrication of ALD-engineered BiOI thin-film heterojunctions, coated with nanometric SnO2 or TiO2 layers (∼5 nm) and decorated with Pd nanoparticles (∼2 nm), which simultaneously enhance catalytic activity and stability. The BiOI/SnO2 and BiOI/TiO2 systems exhibit well-defined type-II band alignments, facilitating efficient interfacial charge transfer, while Pd nanoparticles form Schottky junctions that extract photogenerated electrons and mitigate BiOI photocorrosion. Using 20 ppm tetracycline (TC) at pH 7 as a model contaminant, TiO2-BiOI achieved 92.7 % TC removal and 84.8 % total organic carbon (TOC) mineralization within 90 min under UV-A light (365 nm) with 2.5 mM PMS. In contrast, SnO2-BiOI showed superior performance under simulated sunlight (λ > 400 nm), attaining 80.8 % degradation and 76.5 % mineralization. Radical scavenging assays revealed a threefold increase in sulfate and hydroxyl radical production compared to pristine BiOI. Pd modification reduced Bi and I leaching by more than 80 % after 360 min of continuous irradiation and preserved over 95 % of the photocatalytic activity across ten successive reuse cycles. This work establishes a modular ALD-based strategy to design stable semiconductor/oxide/metal nanointerfaces for wavelength-tunable PMS activation. The resulting thin-film catalysts, fabricated on FTO substrates with sub-nanometer precision, offer a scalable platform for solar-driven water purification and expand the material design space for sulfate-radical-based advanced oxidation processes.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525007956PhotocatalysisPeroxymonosulfate activationHeterojunction thin filmsWater decontaminationAdvanced oxidation processes |
| spellingShingle | Laura Huidobro Mahmoud Abid Haitham Maslouh Arnaud Demore Mikhael Bechelany Elvira Gómez Albert Serrà Atomic layer deposition of SnO2 and TiO2 on electrodeposited BiOI thin films for efficient light-driven peroxymonosulfate activation Materials & Design Photocatalysis Peroxymonosulfate activation Heterojunction thin films Water decontamination Advanced oxidation processes |
| title | Atomic layer deposition of SnO2 and TiO2 on electrodeposited BiOI thin films for efficient light-driven peroxymonosulfate activation |
| title_full | Atomic layer deposition of SnO2 and TiO2 on electrodeposited BiOI thin films for efficient light-driven peroxymonosulfate activation |
| title_fullStr | Atomic layer deposition of SnO2 and TiO2 on electrodeposited BiOI thin films for efficient light-driven peroxymonosulfate activation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Atomic layer deposition of SnO2 and TiO2 on electrodeposited BiOI thin films for efficient light-driven peroxymonosulfate activation |
| title_short | Atomic layer deposition of SnO2 and TiO2 on electrodeposited BiOI thin films for efficient light-driven peroxymonosulfate activation |
| title_sort | atomic layer deposition of sno2 and tio2 on electrodeposited bioi thin films for efficient light driven peroxymonosulfate activation |
| topic | Photocatalysis Peroxymonosulfate activation Heterojunction thin films Water decontamination Advanced oxidation processes |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525007956 |
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