Facile one-step solvothermal synthesis of flower-like BiOBr microspheres for the efficient degradation of organic dyes under visible light irradiation

Abstract

In this study, BiOBr microspheres were successfully synthesized through a facile solvothermal route in the presence of glycerol. The photocatalysts were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The morphology of BiOBr-6, which was synthesized using glycerol, comprised flower-like structures with diameters of ~2 μm, which were composed of two-dimensional flakes with the sizes of tens of nanometers. The photocatalytic activity of the optimized BiOBr-6 was evaluated through the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B, methylene blue, methyl orange, and chrome blue-black R under visible light irradiation. Within 60min, the degradation rates of Rh B、MB and MO reached 99.7%, 99.6% and 98.1%, and within 90min，the degradation rates of C-R reached 98.0%. We concluded that the highly visible-light-driven catalytic performance of the flower-like BiOBr sample was associated with its high surface area, porous structure, and low bandgap energy, as well as its unique microsphere morphology. The resulting BiOBr microspheres may serve as promising adsorbents and photocatalysts for the treatment of organic pollutants.