ABSTRACT
α-/β-/γ-Bi2O3 photocatalytic nanocomposite was prepared through thermal treatment of synthesised nanoparticles by submerged arc discharge . FE-SEM reveals the formation of flake nanostructures after thermal treatment. The signatures of multi-heterojunction formation among α-, β- and γ-Bi2O3 are confirmed by the XRD and PL spectroscopy. The optical transmission spectra indicated narrower band gap of α-/β-/γ-Bi2O3 nanocomposites. The photocatalytic performance of the samples studied by degradation of methyl orange (MeO) and compared based on multi-heterojunction formation . The composite nanostructures exhibited about twice as high photocatalytic activity than single-phase nanostructures. Cyclic photocatalytic degradation reveal stable performance of α-/β-/γ-Bi2O3 nanocomposites for the long term and cyclic utilisation. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attribute to the formation of heterojunctions between α-, β- and γ-Bi2O3. . In addition, PL spectra indicated that the recombination rate of samples after thermal treatment are much lower than that of samples before thermal treatment.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support received from Tarbait Modares University, through grant #IG-39703.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).