Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of visible-light-induced Bi 2MO 6 (M = W, Mo) photocatalysts

Abstract

Visible-light-induced photocatalysts Bi 2MO 6 (M = W, Mo) nanocrystals have been successfully synthesized via a new ultrasonic-assisted method. Laminar structured Bi 2WO 6 nanoplates with size of ca. 100 nm and Bi 2MoO 6 nanoparticles with size of ca. 150 nm were prepared via ultrasonic pretreatment followed by calcination at 500 °C. The photocatalytic activities of as-prepared Bi 2MO 6 were about 4–6 times higher than that of the products prepared by traditional solid-state reaction (SSR), which were evaluated by the degradation of RhB dye in water under visible light irradiation ( λ > 400 nm). It was found that ultrasonic irradiation played an important role in the formation of the nanomaterials with a smaller crystal size and larger surface area, which was beneficial to their photocatalytic activities. The present study suggested a promising method, as an effective improvement of traditional SSR-process, for the synthesis of other photocatalysts.