Flower shaped Bi2O2.33/Bi2WO6 composite: An efficient photocatalyst for degradation of methylene blue from aqueous solution in direct solar light

Abstract

Herein, we synthesized a Bi2O2.33/Bi2WO6 heterostructure as a platform for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye in an aqueous phase. The heterostructure was synthesized by facile ultrasonicated assisted solvothermal method. Various structural, morphological and other techniques such as XRD, FTIR, PL, EIS, UV-DRS, FESEM, HRTEM, XPS, EPR, TGA, BET surface area were used to analyze the characteristics of as-synthesized Bi2O2.33/Bi2WO6. The morphological studies revealed the deposition of Bi2O2.33 flowers in high density on Bi2WO6. Under solar irradiation, 98.6% degradation of MB was achieved in 190 min at optimal conditions (pH = 5, catalyst dose = 0.35 gL-1 and MB concentration = 10 mgL−1). The improved photocatalytic ability of composite in contrast to Bi2O2.33 and Bi2WO6 could be usually ascribed to the interface created between them, assisting the charge transfer. Based on the findings of radical trapping experiments, the charge transfer process over the photocatalyst was completely studied. Additionally, the present heterostructure demonstrated good recyclability over five runs. In nutshell, this study provided a facile approach for synthesizing solar light driven photocatalyst for degradation of methylene blue in aqueous phase and can further explored to be utilized for varied environmental remediation.