Facile Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Performance of BiOF/BiFeO<sub>3</sub> Hybrid Heterojunction for Benzylamine Coupling under Simulated Light Irradiation
Abdalla S. Abdelhamid,
Reem H. Alzard,
Lamia A. Siddig,
Aya Elbahnasy,
Duha Aljazmati,
Zaina Kadoura,
Hind Zeidane,
Rufaida Elshikh,
Ahmed Alzamly
Affiliations
Abdalla S. Abdelhamid
Department of Chemistry, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Reem H. Alzard
Department of Chemistry, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Lamia A. Siddig
Department of Chemistry, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Aya Elbahnasy
Department of Chemistry, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Duha Aljazmati
Department of Chemistry, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Zaina Kadoura
Department of Chemistry, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Hind Zeidane
Department of Chemistry, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Rufaida Elshikh
Department of Chemistry, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Ahmed Alzamly
Department of Chemistry, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Under simulated light irradiation, the aerobic oxidation of benzylamine to N,N-benzylidenebenzylamine was carried out as a model reaction to investigate the photocatalytic activity of a hydrothermally prepared composite based on BiOF and BiFeO3 materials. The prepared photocatalysts were characterized using several spectroscopic techniques, such as powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Band gap analysis showed that the composite exhibits a band gap that lies in the UV region (3.5 eV). Nonetheless, pristine BiOF and BiFeO3 exhibited band gaps of 3.8 eV and 2.15 eV, respectively. N,N-benzylidenebenzylamine was selectively achieved with a high conversion yield of ~80% under atmospheric conditions in which the product was confirmed using 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and FTIR spectroscopic techniques. Various control experiments were conducted to further confirm the enhanced photocatalytic performance of the reported composite.
