Visible light-induced degradation of organic dyes by niobium tellurium oxides ANbTeO6 (A = Rb, Cs) with β-pyrochlore structure

Abstract

Niobium tellurium oxides ANbTeO6 (A = Rb, Cs) with β-pyrochlore structure were prepared via a solid-state reaction followed by ball milling. The photocatalytic activity of the compounds was investigated in the degradation of organic dyes under ultraviolet and visible light. The nanosized RbNbTeO6 demonstrated the highest photocatalytic activity in the degradation of methylene blue, which could be attributed to much more efficient adsorption of the dye onto the surface. It was found that the photocatalytic activity of the nanosized RbNbTeO6 photocatalyst is much higher than that of its structural analogues. This work presents a novel photocatalyst with high performance for the degradation of cationic dyes, and it affords a prototype to efficiently utilize solar energy.