Synthesis of Bi2O3 nanomaterials with different crystal structures (α-, β- and γ-phase) based on calcined Bi2O2CO3 and their potential applications in photocatalysis and acetone gas sensors
Wei Li, Tian Qi, Xiaolong Wang, Yecheng Qiu, Bonan Liu, Weihang Ma, Zhihao Liu, Qianqian Ren, Han Zhang, Junfeng Yan, Jiangni Yun, Zhiyong Zhang, Wu Zhao, Yingnan Wang
Abstract
In this work, using flower-like Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 as the precursor, by changing the calcination temperature and cooling rate, we successfully synthesized α-, β-, and γ-Bi 2 O 3 nanomaterials . Photocatalytic experiments were performed on these bismuth-based semiconductors separately. The results showed that β-Bi 2 O 3 exhibits higher photocatalytic activity than other bismuth-based oxides (α-, γ-Bi 2 O 3 ) under visible light . The degradation efficiency of β-Bi 2 O 3 for four kinds of organic dyes is: Methylene Blue (94.10 %, 120 min), Rhodamine B (85.30 %, 120 min), Methyl Orange (92.59 %, 120 min) and Congo Red (96.97 %, 120 min). Meanwhile, gas sensor based β-Bi 2 O 3 exhibit well acetone gas response, such as low detection limit (below 5 ppm in 250 ℃), short response/recovery time (<1 s /9 s), selectivity to acetone and excellent reproducibility. Compared to previous other works, all these performances have been significantly improved due to its narrow bandgap (2.58 eV) and unique morphology of β-Bi 2 O 3 . All these advantages indicate that β-Bi 2 O 3 nanomaterials has great potential in the field of photocatalysis and acetone gas sensors.