Fabrication of Bi2O4/Bi2WO6 composite for high photocatalytic performance

ABSTRACT The Bi2O4/Bi2WO6 composites were synthesized by one step hydrothermal method, which were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), photoluminescence spectra (PL), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV – Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The photocatalytic performance of the composite was tested by degrading methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the Bi2O4/Bi2WO6 composites performed better than pure Bi2O4 and Bi2WO6, whose cycle stability was also greatly improved. Among them, S3 sample (Bi2O4:Bi2WO6 = 16:1) could degrade by about 95% methyl orange (MO) within 50 min, and after three cycles the degradation rate could still reach 74%. The enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability was attributed to the formation of heterojunctions. This work provided a promising composite photocatalyst with high performance for organic pollutant degradation. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT