Preparation of a novel Bi 2MoO 6 flake-like nanophotocatalyst by molten salt method and evaluation for photocatalytic decomposition of rhodamine B

Abstract

The flake-like nanoscale γ-bismuth molybdate (Bi 2MoO 6) powders as a novel photocatalyst was prepared using Bi(NO 3) 3·5H 2O and Na 2MoO 4·2H 2O as raw materials by a simple low-temperature molten salt method at 350 °C for 1, 4 and 8 h, respectively. The as-prepared samples were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV–vis absorption spectra (UV–vis). The photocatalytic activity of Bi 2MoO 6 crystals was evaluated using the photocatalytic oxidation of rhodamine B (RhB) at room temperature under ultraviolet irradiation. It was found that the band gap adsorption edge of Bi 2MoO 6 is estimated to be 477 nm corresponding to the band gap energy to be 2.60 eV. In addition, the Bi 2MoO 6 powders exhibit good photocatalytic properties to photodegrade RhB at room temperature. Finally, the mechanism of photocatalytic property of Bi 2MoO 6 had been also discussed.