High efficiency photocatalyst Bi₂O₂(CO₃)1-xSx was synthesized conveniently with chemical bath precipitation using Bi₂O₂CO₃ as the precursor. The microstructures of the samples are systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and UV-Vis spectroscopy; the optical and photocatalytic properties are carefully tested as well. The content of S, which was tuned through the controlling of the precipitation process, was verified to have an intense effect over the photocatalytic properties. A nearly saturated S ratio and the best photocatalytic performance were observed in specimens with the most S content. Our study reveals that, with negligible influence of the morphology and crystal structure, Bi₂O₂(CO₃)1-xSx possessed a broadened optical absorption regionfromultraviolet to visible light, and enhanced photocatalytic activity in comparison to precursor Bi₂O₂CO₃ in photocatalytic degradation of Congo Red aqueous solution.
Keywords: Bi2O2(CO3)1−xSx; Bi2O2CO3; broadband spectra; photocatalysis.