Exploration of bismuth-based materials for photocatalytic decomposition of N2O†

This work is focused on the investigation of three different Bi-based materials, i.e., CaBi₂O₂(CO₃)₂ (CBOC), Ca₄Bi₆O₁₃ (CBO), and Bi₂Ce₂O₇ (BCO), as photocatalysts in N₂O reduction. This study has emphasized the effectiveness of the bismuth ion, irrespective of its presence in different structures with self-regulating electronic and morphological properties, when employed as a photocatalyst. Monophasic CBOC, CBO, and BCO samples have been synthesized by wet-chemical methods, and they exhibit distinct morphological features such as plate-like, dumbbell-shaped, and irregularly shaped crystallites. From the UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) data, CBO exhibits a lower optical band gap of 2.52 eV compared to CBOC (3.95 eV), which CBO is synthesized from. BCO shows the lowest optical band gap of 2.16 eV. CBO exhibits the highest photocurrent generation and the lowest value in work function measurements, following the trend as CBO > CBOC > BCO. The efficiency of the Bi-based materials in photocatalytic decomposition of N₂O also follows a similar trend as observed in the photocurrent measurements, wherein the CBO sample exhibits a maximum of 10.4% decomposition of N₂O under UV-A in 24 h. Oxygen vacancies in CBO and BCO have been reasoned to play a crucial role in the photocatalytic decomposition of N₂O.