Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of Bi 2O 3 nanowires

Abstract

An alternative two-step method has been proposed for the synthesis of Bi 2O 3 nanowires with a diameter of about 40 nm from common and cost-effective Bi(NO 3) 3·5H 2O, Na 2SO 4, and NaOH. That is, first, Bi 2O(OH)SO 4 nanowires were prepared through the precipitation reaction of Bi(NO 3) 3·5H 2O and Na 2SO 4 in distilled water under the ambient condition and second, monoclinic phase Bi 2O 3 nanowires were prepared via the hydrothermal reaction of Bi 2O(OH)SO 4 and NaOH at 120 °C for 12 h. The resultant products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. In addition, the photocatalytic studies indicated that the as-synthesized Bi 2O 3 nanowires were a kind of promising photocatalyst in remediation of water polluted by some chemically stable azo dyes.