Abstract
Varying structure Bi2Te3-based nanocomposite powders including pure Bi2Te3, Bi2Te3/Bi core−shell, and Bi2Te3/AgBiTe2 heterostructure were synthesized by hydrothermal synthesis using Bi2S3 as the template and hydrazine as the reductant. Successful realization of Bi2Te3-based nanostructures were concluded from XRD, FESEM, and TEM. In this work, the improvement in the performance of the rhodamine B (RhB) decomposition efficiency under visible light was discussed. The Bi2Te3/AgBiTe2 heterostructures revealed propitious photocatalytic performance ca. 90% after 60 min. The performance was over Bi2Te3/Bi core-shell nanostructures (ca. 40%) and more, exceeding pure Bi2Te3 (ca. 5%). The reason could be scrutinized in terms of the heterojunction structure, improving the interfacial contact between Bi2Te3 and AgBiTe2 and enabling retardation in the recombination rate of the photogenerated charge carriers. A credible mechanism of the charge transfer process in the Bi2Te3/AgBiTe2 heterostructures for the decomposition of an aqueous solution of RhB was also explicated. In addition, this work also investigated the stability and recyclability of a Bi2Te3/AgBiTe2 heterojunction nanostructure photocatalyst. In addition, this paper anticipates that the results possess broad potential in the photocatalysis field for the design of a visible light functional and reusable heterojunction nanostructure photocatalyst.
Highlights
Environmental and energy issues have always been the focus of our attention
For Bi2Te3/Bi core-shell NRs prepared with a Bi2S3-to-Te ratio of 1:2.5, less than 40% of the rhodamine B (RhB) solution was degraded in 60 min
Nanocomposites with different structures including pure Bi2 Te3, Bi2 Te3 /Bi core-shell, and Bi2 Te3 /AgBiTe2 heterojunction coupling nanorods were successfully prepared by hydrothermal synthesis using Bi2 S3 as a template
Summary
Environmental and energy issues have always been the focus of our attention. energy is consumed in large quantities and has led to a series of environmental problems in recent decades [1,2]. Semiconductorbased photocatalytic materials have been extensively investigated as a hot research topic because of their unique chemical and physical properties and potential applications [3,4,5]. Their excellent properties and potential applications have something to do with the morphologies, dimensions, and structures of the nanomaterials. The absorption of light by these nanofibers is confined to the UV region It still possesses better photodegradation activity under visible light irradiation, it is not as good as decomposition under UV light, which limits the application of bare TiO2. The photocatalytic mechanism of heterostructure powders are discussed in detail
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