Novel in Situ N-Doped (BiO)₂CO₃ Hierarchical Microspheres Self-Assembled by Nanosheets as Efficient and Durable Visible Light Driven Photocatalyst

Abstract

Novel N-doped (BiO)(2)CO(3) hierarchical microspheres (N-BOC) were fabricated by a facile one-pot template free method on the basis of hydrothermal treatment of bismuth citrate and urea in water for the first time. The N-BOC sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N(2) adsorption-desorption isotherms, and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy. The N-BOC was constructed by the self-assembly of single-crystalline nanosheets. The aggregation of nanosheets led to the formation of hierarchical framework with mesopores, which is favorable for efficient transport of reaction molecules and harvesting of photoenergy. Due to the in situ doped nitrogen substituting for oxygen in the lattice of (BiO)(2)CO(3), the band gap of N-BOC was reduced from 3.4 to 2.5 eV, making N-BOC visible light active. The N-BOC exhibited not only excellent visible light photocatalytic activity, but also high photochemical stability and durability during repeated and long-term photocatalytic removal of NO in air due to the special hierarchical structure. This work demonstrates that the facile fabrication method for N-BOC combined with the associated outstanding visible light photocatalytic performance could provide new insights into the morphology-controlled fabrication of nanostructured photocatalytic materials for environmental pollution control.

The Preparation of a Highly Efficient Ag3PO4/Ag/Bi2O2CO3 Photo-Catalyst and the Study of Its Photo-Catalytic Organic Synthesis Reaction Driven by Visible Light

“…The peaks at 368.2 and 374.2 eV were caused by the Ag + of Ag3PO4, and the peaks at 368.55 and 374.5 eV corresponded to Ag 0 [50,51]. In Figure 2c, a single O 1s peak at 531.38 eV was observed, and attributed to the carbonate species [52]. A broad P 2p peak within the range of 131.38 to 136.18 eV (Figure 2d) was observed for the Ag3PO4/Ag/Bi2O2CO3 sample, which corresponded to the phosphorus (P) of Ag3PO4 [53].…”

Enhanced CO Response of NASICON-based Gas Sensors Using Oxide-added Pt Sensing Electrode at Low Temperature Operation

“…289.2 eV and ca. 288.0-289.0 eV for Bi 2 O 3 and Bi 2 O 3 -NASICON, respectively, which were derived from carbonate species, 30,31 were observed before the exposure to CO. The heat treatment at 700°C seems to produce the carbonate species on their surface by the reaction with CO 2 in the atmospheric air.…”

“…The intensity of the peak centered at 289.2 eV for Bi 2 O 3 increased by the exposure to CO, which shows that CO was oxidized even at RT and then the produced CO 2 reacted with Bi 2 O 3 to form bismuth carbonate such as (BiO) 2 CO 3 . 31 On the other hand, the broad peak of Bi 2 O 3 -NASICON (centered at ca. 288.0-290.0 eV) after the exposure to CO was quite comparable to that before the exposure to CO, probably because the NASICON inhibited the production of carbonate species on the surface of the Bi 2 O 3 -NASICON.…”

Mechanochemically prepared BiOCl nanoplates for removal of rhodamine B and pentachlorophenol

“…In the recent years, Kudo et al discovered that bismuth-based semiconductors could have high photocatalytic activities since the Bi 6s and O 2p levels form largely dispersed hybridized valence bands [8]. So far, researchers have investigated the photocatalytic activities of various bismuth-based compounds such as BiPO 4 [9], (BiO) 2 CO 3 [10,11], Bi 2 S 3 [12], Bi 5 O 7 NO 3 [13], Bi 2 O 3 [14], Bi 2-x Sb x WO 6 [15], BiOCl [16,17], BiO 1.84 H 0.08 [18], CaBiO 2 Cl [19], BiVO 4 [20], and Bi 2 WO 6 [21].…”