Bi2O2CO3 nanosheets with exposed {001} facets were prepared by a facile room temperature chemical method. Due to the high oxygen atom density in {001} facets of Bi2O2CO3, the addition of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) does not only influence the growth of crystalline Bi2O2CO3, but also modifies the surface properties of Bi2O2CO3 through the interaction between CTAB and Bi2O2CO3. Nitrogen from CTAB as dopant interstitially incorporates in the Bi2O2CO3 surface evidenced by both experimental and theoretical investigations. Hence, the formation of localized states from N-O bond improves the visible light absorption and charge separation efficiency, which leads to an enhancement of visible light photocatalytic activity toward to the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) and oxidation of NO. In addition, the photocatalytic NO oxidation over Bi2O2CO3 nanosheets was successfully monitored for the first time using in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). Both bidentate and monodentate nitrates were identified on the surface of catalysts during the photocatalytic reaction process. The application of this strategy to another relevant bismuth based photocatalyst, BiOCl, demonstrated that surface interstitial N doping could also be achieved in this case. Therefore, our current route seems to be a general option to modify the surface properties of bismuth based photocatalysts. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.