Investigations on the Phase Transformation, Optical Characteristics, and Photocatalytic Activity of Synthesized Heterostructured Nanoporous Bi2O3–TiO2

Abstract

Fine‐powdered, heterostructured, nanoporous Bi2O3–TiO2 (BTO) was synthesized by a green approach using ultrasonication, with the mole ratio Bi/Ti of 1:1 and calcined at different temperatures. The physical and optical properties of the mixed oxides were investigated. The phase structure, as identified by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), showed the appearance of new phases as a function of the calcination temperature. Morphological examinations indicated the formation of a nanoporous structure with a drastic change in morphology at the calcination temperature of 850°C from a globule to a rod‐shaped structure, which further got transformed to a rocky appearance at 1200°C. Doping with Bi2O3 led to the lowering of the bandgap of TiO2 from 3.25 to 2.5 eV. A BTO nanocatalyst calcined at 450°C exhibited promising photocatalytic activity for the degradation of quinalphos (QP) (92%) after a time interval of 100 min under visible light and at the optimum pH 8. The kinetics of degradation of QP showed that it follows a pseudo‐first‐order path with a rate constant 0.01267 min−1. The synthesized BTO mixed oxide showed profound improvement in photocatalytic activity in the visible region as compared to TiO2.