A facile template-free synthesis of Bi2Sn2O7 with flower-like hierarchical architecture for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

Abstract

Bi₂Sn₂O₇ with flower-like hierarchical architecture was successfully synthesized via a facile template-free hydrothermal method. The structure–property relationships of such unique structured Bi₂Sn₂O₇ were studied. The results show that the 3D flower-like Bi₂Sn₂O₇ hierarchical architecture is composed of 2D Bi₂Sn₂O₇ nanosheets, which increases the specific surface area of Bi₂Sn₂O₇, which is about four times that of Bi₂Sn₂O₇ nanoparticles. Meanwhile, 2D nanosheets result in an effective separation of photo-generated carries, and the average carrier lifetime of flower-like Bi₂Sn₂O₇ is 3.26 ns, which is longer than that of Bi₂Sn₂O₇ nanoparticles (1.88 ns). Therefore, the flower-like Bi₂Sn₂O₇ displays excellent photocatalytic activity for degrading tetracycline hydrochloride compared with Bi₂Sn₂O₇ nanoparticles. The active species trapping test confirmed that h⁺ and ˙O₂⁻ are dominant reactive species in the photocatalytic reaction. Moreover, this novel structure can also integrate the advantages of nano-sized materials with high surface area and micro-sized materials with good dispersion, exhibiting excellent properties of high photocatalytic activity, easy recyclability and good catalytic stability.