Electrospun ZnO/Bi2O3 Nanofibers with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

ZnO/Bi2O3 nanofibers were synthesized by a simple electrospinning method and both the UV and visible light responsive photocatalytic properties were studied by the decolorization of RhB dye. Thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of nanomaterials Vol. 2014; no. 2014; pp. 1 - 7
Main Authors Sun, Wenjun, Che, Jixin, Su, Chunyan, Xu, Lingling, Yang, Yingying, Gao, Hong
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01.01.2014
Hindawi Limited
Subjects
Collectors
Nanomaterials
Photocatalysis
Semiconductors
Solar energy
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Summary:ZnO/Bi2O3 nanofibers were synthesized by a simple electrospinning method and both the UV and visible light responsive photocatalytic properties were studied by the decolorization of RhB dye. Thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) were employed to study the structure, morphology, and optical properties of the ZnO/Bi2O3 nanofibers, respectively. The relationship between the ZnO/Bi2O3 ratio and photocatalytic activity was also studied, and the composite with a molar ratio of 23 : 1 demonstrated the best activity under both excitations. The photocatalytic mechanisms for the composite fibers can be described as the direct photocatalysis under UV excitation and photosensitation for visible light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activities can be ascribed to the effective electron-hole pairs separation that leads to the promoted photocatalytic efficiency.
ISSN:1687-4110
1687-4129
DOI:10.1155/2014/130539