Construction of Cu-Fe bimetallic oxide/biochar/Ag3PO4 heterojunction for improving photocorrosion resistance and photocatalytic performance achieves efficient removal of phenol.

[Display omitted] • CuFe 2 O 4 /biochar/Ag 3 PO 4 heterojunction photocatalyst was successfully prepared. • DFT calculations revealed the charge transfer mechanism. • The photo-generated hole protective mechanism was proposed. • The degradation path of phenol is proposed via DFT calculation and GC–MS analysis. Ag 3 PO 4 has an excellent visible light response, but its serious photocorrosion has limited its application in environmental remediation. Here, we constructed a ternary heterojunction photocatalyst (CuFe 2 O 4 /Biochar/Ag 3 PO 4) to inhibit its photocorrosion and enhance photocatalytic activity. Notably, the composite catalyst (0.5 g/L) thoroughly degraded phenol (20 mg/L) at 18 min, and its apparent kinetic constant is fivefold that of pure Ag 3 PO 4. The analysis of XPS, XRD, and cyclic degradation experiments confirmed that the photocorrosion of the heterojunction photocatalyst was significantly suppressed. The enhanced photocorrosion resistance of Ag 3 PO 4 can be ascribed to the rapid transfer and consumption of photoelectrons on the Ag 3 PO 4 surface by biochar and CuFe 2 O 4 , thereby avoiding photocorrosion. Especially, Ag 3 PO 4 as a hole-rich region can protect Ag+ from being reduced. DFT calculations further revealed the electron transfer and anti-photocorrosion mechanism of Ag 3 PO 4. The photogenerated O 2 – and h+ played a major role in phenol degradation. A possible degradation pathway was proposed by DFT calculations and GC–MS analysis. This study provides a novel ternary heterojunction photocatalyst to improve the catalytic performance and photocorrosion resistance of Ag 3 PO 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]