Template-free synthesis of Bi2O2CO3 hierarchical nanotubes self-assembled from ordered nanoplates for promising photocatalytic applications

Liexiao Li; Xiaofeng Sun; Tao Xian; Huajing Gao; Shifa Wang; Zao Yi; Xianwen Wu; Hua Yang

doi:10.1039/d1cp05952a

Template-free synthesis of Bi₂O₂CO₃ hierarchical nanotubes self-assembled from ordered nanoplates for promising photocatalytic applications

Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2022 Apr 6;24(14):8279-8295. doi: 10.1039/d1cp05952a.

Authors

Liexiao Li¹, Xiaofeng Sun², Tao Xian², Huajing Gao¹, Shifa Wang³, Zao Yi⁴, Xianwen Wu⁵, Hua Yang¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Advanced Processing and Recycling of Non-ferrous Metals, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, China. hyang@lut.cn.
² College of Physics and Electronic Information Engineering, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008, China.
³ School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Chongqing Three Gorges University, Chongqing, Wanzhou 404000, China.
⁴ Joint Laboratory for Extreme Conditions Matter Properties, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China.
⁵ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jishou University, Jishou 416000, China.

PMID: 35319037
DOI: 10.1039/d1cp05952a

Abstract

In this study, we have adopted a one-step hydrothermal route to synthesize an interesting type of Bi₂O₂CO₃ hierarchical nanotubes self-assembled from ordered nanosheets. The effects of reaction time on the morphological and structural evolution, light absorption properties, photoelectrochemical performance, and photocatalytic performance of the prepared hierarchical nanotubes were investigated. Among the products synthesized at different reaction times, the 3-hour-derived Bi₂O₂CO₃ hierarchical nanotubes were identified to possess the highest photocatalytic performance. To promote the photocatalytic application of the as-synthesized Bi₂O₂CO₃ hierarchical nanotubes, their performance was systematically evaluated via the photodegradation of various organic pollutants (e.g., methyl orange (MO), rhodamine B (RhB), methylene blue (MB), ciprofloxacin (CIP), sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and tetracycline hydrochloride (TC)) and the photoreduction of Cr(VI) under simulated-sunlight irradiation. Furthermore, their photocatalytic performance was also evaluated by purifying simulated industrial wastewater (i.e., a MO/RhB/MB mixed solution) at different pH values and containing different inorganic anions. Based on the experimental data and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the involved photocatalytic mechanism was discussed.