A facile route to construct NiTiO3/Bi4NbO8Cl heterostructures for enhanced photocatalytic water purification

• Published in: Journal of materials science Vol. 55; no. 22; pp. 9330 - 9342
• Main Authors: Qu, Xiaofei, Liu, Meihua, Zhang, Wenxiao, Sun, Zheng, Meng, Wei, Shi, Liang, Du, Fanglin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.08.2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Ceramics; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Classical Mechanics; Coordination compounds; Crystal structure; Crystallography and Scattering Methods; Current carriers; Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; Electron microscopes; Energy bands; Heterostructures; Materials Science; Morphology; Nickel compounds; Optical properties; Photocatalysis; Photodegradation; Photoelectric effect; Photoelectric emission; Photoelectrons; Photoluminescence; Polymer Sciences; Rhodamine; Solid Mechanics; Spectrum analysis; Titanates; Ultraviolet reflection; Ultraviolet spectra; Water purification; X ray powder diffraction
• ISSN: 0022-2461; 1573-4803
• DOI: 10.1007/s10853-020-04664-w

NiTiO 3 /Bi 4 NbO 8 Cl heterostructure photocatalysts were successfully synthesized by a mechanical mixing method. The crystal structure, morphology, optical properties and energy band structures of all samples were determined by X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflection spectra (UV–Vis DRS), and Mott–Schottky tests. The NiTiO 3 /Bi 4 NbO 8 Cl composites were observed to possess an improved activity in the photocatalytic degradation of organic dye rhodamine B (RhB) under irradiation. In particular, Bi 4 NbO 8 Cl modified with NiTiO 3 (10% in weight) exhibits the best photocatalytic performance. The enhanced photocatalytic performance can be ascribed to the formation of intimate interfacial contact and type-II band alignment between NiTiO 3 and Bi 4 NbO 8 Cl. From the results of photoluminescence spectra (PL), time-resolved decay spectra (TR-PL), photocurrent and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, the rapid separation and transportation of photoinduced charge carriers were proved. In addition, the proposed mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic activities is proposed in this paper.