One-pot solvothermal syntheses of ternary heterostructured TiO2–Bi2MoO6/Bi3.64Mo0.36O6.55 controllable in terms of composition, morphology and structure: Materials of high visible-light driven photocatalytic activity

• Published in: Applied catalysis. B, Environmental Vol. 140-141; pp. 608 - 618
• Main Authors: Zou, Jian-Ping, Luo, Sheng-Lian, Zhang, Long-Zhu, Ma, Jun, Lei, Si-Liang, Zhang, Long-Shuai, Luo, Xu-Biao, Luo, Yan, Zeng, Gui-Sheng, Au, Chak-Tong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 01.08.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Bismuth molybdate; Catalysis; Chemistry; Composite materials; Controllable syntheses; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; Heterostructured; Photocatalysis; Photochemistry; Physical chemistry of induced reactions (with radiations, particles and ultrasonics); Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry; Heterostructured; Bismuth molybdate; Composite materials; Controllable syntheses; Photocatalysis; One pot reaction; Binary compound; Composition; Transition element compounds; Composite material; Heterogeneous catalysis; Synthesis; Morphology; Titanium oxide; Structure; Environmental protection
• ISSN: 0926-3373; 1873-3883
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2013.04.057

Novel trinary heterostructured TiO2–Bi2MoO6/Bi3.64Mo0.36O6.55 are synthesized by one-pot template-free solvothermal method. The compositions, morphologies and structures of the photocatalysts can be well controlled by adjusting the pH values, the ratio of alcohol/water and the content of TiO2 loading. And reasonable formation mechanisms and photocatalytic mechanism for the heterostructured photocatalysts are put forward, which provide a new photocatalytic reaction mode. •New photocatalyst: The catalyst is the first ternary heterostructured composite containing Bi2MoO6.•Facile method: The catalysts were synthesized by facile solvothermal method without any templates.•Controllable syntheses: Their composition, structure and morphology can be controlled by ethanol and TiO2 loading.•Good photocatalytic properties: 5TBM exhibits the best photocatalytic activity for the degradations of RhB and o-nitrophenol.•New mechanism: A new photocatalytic mechanism for the heterostructured composites was proposed. Novel ternary heterostructured TiO2–Bi2MoO6/Bi3.64Mo0.36O6.55 were synthesized by a one-pot template-free solvothermal method. For comparison studies, Bi2MoO6, Bi3.64Mo0.36O6.55, Bi2MoO6/Bi3.64Mo0.36O6.55, TiO2–Bi2MoO6, and TiO2–Bi3.64Mo0.36O6.55 were also synthesized likewise. The photocatalysts were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The experimental results showed that the composition, morphology and structure of the photocatalysts can be well controlled by adjusting the pH value, alcohol/water ratio, and TiO2 content. Based on the findings, we put forward a mechanism for the formation of the materials. Furthermore, the results of photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) and o-nitrophenol over the as-prepared materials indicate that photocatalytic efficiency can be closely related to the composition, morphology and structure of the materials. The ternary heterostructured 5%TiO2–Bi2MoO6/Bi3.64Mo0.36O6.55 exhibits good visible-light driven photocatalytic activity in the degradation of RhB and o-nitrophenol, much higher than those of TiO2, Bi2MoO6, Bi3.64Mo0.36O6.55, and any combination of the three. Finally, a new mechanism for the photocatalytic action of the heterostructured materials was put forward. Overall, the investigation provides a new reaction mode to explain the effective interfacial charge transfer and the significant improvement in photocatalytic efficiency of the ternary heterostructured composites.