Recently, the bismuth-based (Bi-based) Z-scheme photocatalysts have been paid great attention due to their good solar energy utilization capacity, the high separation rate of their photogenerated hole-electron pairs, and strong redox ability. They are considerably more promising materials than single semiconductors for alleviating the energy crisis and environmental deterioration by efficiently utilizing sunlight to motivate various photocatalytic reactions for energy production and pollutant removal. In this review, the traits and recent research progress of Bi-based semiconductors and recent achievements in the synthesis methods of Bi-based direct Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts are explored. The recent photocatalytic applications development of Bi-based Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts in environmental pollutants removal and detection, water splitting, CO₂ reduction, and air (NO_x) purification are also described concisely. The challenges and future perspective in the studies of Bi-based Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts are discussed and summarized in the conclusion of this mini review.

The degradation effect of heat/peroxymonosulfate (PMS) on atrazine (ATZ) is studied. The results show that the heat/PMS degradation for ATZ is 96.28% at the moment that the phosphate buffer (PB) pH, temperature, PMS dosage, ATZ concentration, and reaction time are 7, 50 °C, 400 μmol/L, 2.5 μmol/L, and 60 min. A more alkaline PB is more likely to promote the breakdown of ATZ through heat/PMS, while the PB alone has a more acidic effect on the PMS than the partially alkaline solution. $\mathrm{HO}•$ and $\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{O}}_4^{-}•$ coexisted within the heat/PMS scheme, and ATZ quantity degraded by $\mathrm{HO}•$ and $\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{O}}_4^{-}•$ in PB with pH = 7, pH = 1.7~1. $\mathrm{HC}{\mathrm{O}}_3^{-}$ makes it difficult for heat/PMS to degrade ATZ according to inorganic anion studies, while $\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{l}}^{-}$ and $\mathrm{N}{\mathrm{O}}_3^{-}$ accelerate the degradation and the acceleration effect of $\mathrm{N}{\mathrm{O}}_3^{-}$ is more obvious. The kinetics of ATZ degradation via heat/PMS is quasi-first-order. Ethanol (ETA) with the identical concentration inhibited ATZ degradation slightly more than $\mathrm{HC}{\mathrm{O}}_3^{-}$, and both of them reduced the degradation rates of heat/PMS to 7.06% and 11.56%. The addition of $\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{l}}^{-}$ and $\mathrm{N}{\mathrm{O}}_3^{-}$ increased the maximum rate of ATZ degradation by heat/PMS by 62.94% and 189.31%.