Morphological evolution and visible light driven degradation of tetracycline by Bi3.84W0.16O6.24 nanostructures

Abstract

In this work, two morphologies of Bi_3.84W_0.16O_6.24 nanostructures, namely the nanobelt (T2) and nanooctahedral structure (T15), were synthesized via a simple, microwave-assisted method. X-ray diffraction patterns and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) images confirmed that the nanobelt and nanooctahedral structures consist of polycrystalline and single crystalline structures, respectively. According to the time-dependent experiments, tentative formation mechanisms of the different morphologies based on our observation were discussed. The correlation between morphologies and photocatalytic activities were investigated by photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC) under different pH conditions. The results demonstrate the photocatalytic activity of sample T2 is more stable and balanced than sample T15.