Synergistic Modification of Boron Nitride with Silver Loading and Hydroxylation for Enhanced Photocatalysis

doi:10.16552/j.cnki.issn1001-1625.2026.0017

Abstract

Abstract:

To enhance the visible-light photocatalytic activity of hexagonal boron nitride （h-BN）， a synergistic modification strategy combining edge hydroxylation and silver nanoparticle loading was proposed and implemented. The Ag/h-BN-OH composite was successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal process to introduce B—OH groups at the h-BN edges， followed by a self-assembly and hydrothermal reduction step to anchor silver nanoparticles. The material’s structure and composition were characterized by X-ray diffraction， transmission electron microscopy， and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Its optoelectrochemical properties were systematically investigated using ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy， electrochemical impedance spectroscopy， transient photocurrent response， and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results indicate that edge hydroxylation significantly increases the loading amount of silver nanoparticles （up to 5.3%）. The surface plasmon resonance effect of the silver nanoparticles effectively extends the light absorption edge to 500 nm and reduces the apparent band gap to 2.09 eV， thereby broadening the visible-light response. The composite demonstrates superior charge separation efficiency and enhanced generation capability of hydroxyl radicals. Under visible-light irradiation， it achieves a high degradation rate of 91% for Rhodamine B within 60 min. This study confirms that constructing a synergistic system comprising edge hydroxyl active sites and plasmonic metals can effectively address the core limitations of wide-bandgap h-BN， namely rapid recombination of photogenerated carriers and low visible-light utilization efficiency， offering a new pathway for designing efficient boron nitride-based photocatalytic materials.

Key words: hexagonal boron nitride, silver nanoparticles, Rhodamine B, photocatalysis, hydroxylation, surface plasmon resonance, vbisible-light degradation

CLC Number:

TQ426.6

SHENG Hailong, GENG Yongjuan, ZHOU Anjie, LI Shaochun. Synergistic Modification of Boron Nitride with Silver Loading and Hydroxylation for Enhanced Photocatalysis[J]. BULLETIN OF THE CHINESE CERAMIC SOCIETY, 2026, 45(7): 2531-2539.

Figures/Tables 8

Fig.1 Zeta potential and XRD patterns of composite materials

Fig.2 TEM images and EDS elemental mapping of composite materials

Fig.3 XPS survey spectra and corresponding high-resolution spectra of composite materials

Fig.4 BET analysis of composite materials

Fig.5 Optical absorption of composite materials

Fig.6 Charge separation and transfer properties of composite materials

Fig.7 EPR spectra of hydroxyl radical of composite materials

Fig.8 Photocatalytic degradation performance comparison of RhB by composite materials

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