Phase junction enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ga2O3 nanorod arrays on flexible glass fiber fabric

Abstract

Ga2O3 nanostructures hold great potential applications in photocatalytic fields due to their stability, high efficiency and environmental friendliness. The construction of phase junction has been proved to be one of the most effective strategies for enhancing Ga2O3 photocatalytic activity. However, the influence of the formation process at the interface of the phase junction on the photocatalytic activity of Ga2O3 nanostructures is far less well understood. In this work, for the first time, large-area Ga2O3 nanorod arrays (NRAs) with controllable α/β phase junction were prepared in situ on a flexible glass fiber fabric by a facile and environmentally friendly three-step method. The α/β-Ga2O3 phase junction NRAs exhibit an ultra-high photocatalytic degradation rate of 97% during Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation for 60 min, which is attributed to a unique phase junction promoting efficient charge separation. However, the photocatalytic activity of α/β-Ga2O3 phase junction NRAs is not evident in the early phase transition, possibly due to the presence of defects acting as charge recombination centers.