Solid state preparation and photocatalytic activity of bismuth oxybromide nanoplates

Abstract

A mechanochemical method was applied to prepare bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr) nanoplates using bismuth nitrate pentahydrate and potassium bromide for 15 (A15), 30 (A30) and 60 (A60) minutes. Scanning electron microscopy studies showed that all the products were comprised of nanoplates. Aggregated nanoplates along with microblocks were observed for A15 and A30 and the entire morphology was not homogenous. The morphology of A60 was uniform and consisted of thin and isolated nanoplates. Evaluation of the X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the purity and crystallinity of the products improved by increasing the milling time. The energy dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the high purity of the products. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy and nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller technique were also used to study the products. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy studies clarified that all the samples were indirect band gap semiconductors with the band gap of 3.25 eV for A15 and the narrow band gap of 2.74 eV for A30 and A60. Photocatalytic studies revealed that A30 has the highest photocatalytic activity among the products. The effect of oxygen vacancies, surface defects, morphology and band gap of products on the photocatalytic or photosensitized degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) aqueous solutions were studied.

ZIF-67/BiOCl Z-Scheme Heterojunction Photocatalyst for Photodegradation of Organic Dyes and Antibiotics

“…However, traditional semiconductors such as ZnO and TiO 2 have wide band gaps and cannot make full use of solar energy, limiting their industrial applications . At present, Bi-based semiconductor materials have been continuously developed and a lot of scientists research the photocatalytic activity of various bismuth-based catalysts, such as g-C 3 N 4 /Na-BiVO 4 , Bi/Bi 2 WO 6 , Bi 2 MoO 6 , BiOBr, and other bismuth-based materials, , which present good photocatalytic degradation effects. BiOCl-based materials have a unique heterogeneous layer structure, internal electric field, and suitable band gap width.…”

Immobilization-Free Photoelectrochemical Aptasensor for Atrazine Based on Bifunctional Graphene Signal Amplification and a Controllable Sulfhydryl-Assembled BiOBr/Ag NP Microinterface

“…Figure A shows the high-resolution energy spectrum of the O 1s. The characteristic peaks at 530.4 and 532.0 eV are attributed to the lattice oxygen in the BiOBr material and the oxygen in the chemically adsorbed hydroxyl group (−OH), respectively. − Figure B is the high-resolution energy spectrum of Bi 4f, with the characteristic peaks at 164.9 and 159.6 eV, corresponding to Bi 4f 5/2 and Bi 4f 7/2 , respectively, which indicate that Bi in the BiOBr/Ag NP composite material exists in the form of Bi 3+ . , However, the binding energy is slightly reduced compared with the peaks of Bi 4f in BiOBr ( E b (Bi 4f 5/2 ) = 166.88 eV, E b (Bi 4f 7/2 ) = 161.51 eV), which may be related to the strong interaction between BiOBr and Ag NPs Figure C gives the high-resolution energy spectrum of Br 3d, with the characteristic peaks at 68.9 and 67.9 eV, corresponding to Br 3d 3/2 and Br 3d 5/2 , respectively.…”

Advances in the optical and electronic properties and applications of bismuth-based semiconductor materials

“…Additionally, Bijanzad et al used bismuth nitrate and potassium bromide to produce BiOBr nanosheets. 149 With increased preparation time, morphologies transformed from irregular chunks to uniform, thin, and separated nanoplates, which show the ability for photocatalytic rhodamine B and pentachlorophenol degradation.…”