Issue 4, 2013

Metastable β-Bi2O3nanoparticles with high photocatalytic activity from polynuclear bismuth oxido clusters

Abstract

The synthesis of nanoscaled β-Bi2O3 starting from the bismuth oxido clusters [Bi6O4(OH)4](NO3)6·H2O, [Bi22O26(OSiMe2tBu)14], [Bi38O45(NO3)20(DMSO)28](NO3)4·4DMSO and [Bi38O45(OMc)24(DMSO)9]·2DMSO·7H2O (OMc = O2CC3H5) under ambient conditions is reported. The metal oxido clusters are regarded as ideal precursors for β-Bi2O3 due to their structural relationship with the latter. Nevertheless, different bismuth oxide polymorphs are accessible dependent on the hydrolysis protocol. Hydrolysis over a period of 18 h gave stable α-Bi2O3 whereas after 3 min an amorphous material is observed. Annealing of the amorphous material at 370 °C gave nanoscaled β-Bi2O3. An unusual high reactivity of the β-Bi2O3 particles with SiO2 and Al2O3 is observed at temperatures above 400 °C. Powder X-ray diffraction studies, transmission electron microscopy, diffuse reflectance UV/Vis spectroscopy and nitrogen adsorption measurements are used for characterization of the as-prepared β-Bi2O3 nanoparticles. The properties of the β-Bi2O3 nanoparticles depend on the starting bismuth oxido clusters with regard to particle size and optical band gap. The β-Bi2O3 nanoparticles show excellent photocatalytic activity as demonstrated by dye decomposition (rhodamine B, methyl orange, methylene blue and orange G) under visible light.

Graphical abstract: Metastable β-Bi2O3 nanoparticles with high photocatalytic activity from polynuclear bismuth oxido clusters

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
13 Jul 2012
Accepted
05 Oct 2012
First published
09 Oct 2012

Dalton Trans., 2013,42, 1047-1056

Metastable β-Bi2O3 nanoparticles with high photocatalytic activity from polynuclear bismuth oxido clusters

M. Schlesinger, S. Schulze, M. Hietschold and M. Mehring, Dalton Trans., 2013, 42, 1047 DOI: 10.1039/C2DT32119J

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements