A heterojunction of Au/BiOCl was fabricated within the mesoporous silica shell.
The compact contact between Au and BiOCl enables electrons back flow from Au to BiOCl.
Au/BiOCl@mSiO2 plasmonic photocatalyst shows efficient visible light photoactivity.
Hydroxyl radicals are the main oxidants in formaldehyde and Rhodamine B decomposition.