Flower-like Bi 2O 2CO 3: Facile synthesis and their photocatalytic application in treatment of dye-containing wastewater

Lang Chen, Rui Huang, Shuang Feng Yin*, Sheng Lian Luo, Chak Tong Au

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

159 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A facile, fast and low-cost method was developed for the synthesis of novel flower-like Bi 2O 2CO 3 in an aqueous medium with the assistance of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The as-synthesized flower-like Bi 2O 2CO 3 was characterized using the powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, and N 2 adsorption-desorption techniques. It was found that the nanomaterial exhibited high photocatalytic efficiency towards the degradation of wastewater dyes (rhodamine-B, methylene orange, crystal violet or their mixture) under UV-vis light irradiation. There was only a slight decrease in photocatalytic activity after 5-time recycling (with above 99% removal), suggesting that the catalyst is highly stable and reusable. The relationship between structure and catalytic performance of the flower-like Bi 2O 2CO 3 was investigated. It is deduced that the high photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the flower-like morphology, thin nanopetals, low band gap, and large specific surface area.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)123-130
Number of pages8
JournalChemical Engineering Journal
Volume193-194
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Jun 2012

User-Defined Keywords

  • Bi O CO
  • Nanoflower
  • Photocatalyst
  • Photodegradation
  • Synthesis

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