Bi2O2CO3/TiO2 hybrid with 0D/1D nanostructure: design, synthesis and photocatalytic performance

Abstract

Photocatalytic technology is a potential technology to meet energy and environmental requirements. Herein, the solvothermal method was used for the first time to synthesize a Bi₂O₂CO₃/TiO₂ hybrid with 0D/1D nanostructure, and the obtained materials were characterized systematically. In the architecture of the composite, Bi₂O₂CO₃ quantum dots (QDs) (1.40–1.50 nm) uniformly grew on the surface of TiO₂ nanobelts (NBs). The degradation efficiency of Rhodamine B under visible light irradiation was applied to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of the obtained materials. Of them, TB-3 exhibited the best photocatalytic performance, and more than 95.43% RhB was degraded under visible light. The reaction rate constant is 18.51 × 10⁻³ min⁻¹, which is nine times larger than that of TiO₂ NBs. Moreover, it exhibited remarkable stability and recyclability in a recycling experiment. According to the photoelectric characterization, the excellent performance may be attributed to the construction of a heterojunction and hybrid structure with 0D Bi₂O₂CO₃ QDs and 1D TiO₂ NBs, which endows the catalyst with faster migration of photo-generated carriers and less recombination of electron/hole pairs. Our work provides a promising method to build novel visible light-driven photocatalysts with a 0D/1D hybrid structure.