Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, Vol.102, No.1-2, 120-125, 2011
Highly active and durable Bi2O3/TiO2 visible photocatalyst in flower-like spheres with surface-enriched Bi2O3 quantum dots
The flower-like Bi2O3/TiO2 visible photocatalyst with surface enrichment of Bi2O3 quantum dots was synthesized using a facile solvothermal process, which exhibited much higher activity than the Bi2O3/TiO2-IM prepared by impregnation method and the Bi2O3/TiO2-GR obtained by crushing the flower-like Bi2O3/TiO2. The high activity could be attributed to the enhanced light absorbance via multiple reflections in flower-like structure, the enhanced photosensitizing effect of the surface enriched Bi2O3 quantum dots and the strong interaction between Bi2O3 and TiO2. Moreover, the Bi2O3/TiO2 exhibited strong durability and could be reused for more than 10 times, which could be attributed to the high hydrothermal stability of the flower-like structure and the inhibition of Bi2O3 leaching owing to its strong interaction with TiO2. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved,
Keywords:Flower-like Bi2O3/TiO2 spheres;Surface enriched Bi2O3 quantum dots;Visible light photocatalyst;Degradation of p-chlorophenol