Synthesis and characterization of BiOI/montmorillonite composites with high visible light photocatalytic activity

BiOI/montmorillonite composite photocatalysts are synthesized by a facile room temperature method using Bi(NO3)3, KI and montmorillonite (MMT) clay as precursors, and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements. The facile synthesis method avoids high temperature treatment, and is based on cheap precursors. The prepared Bi-M-x composites possess a hierarchically nanoplates structure and are composed of BiOI and MMT phases. The degradation rate of the methylene blue reached up to about 95% after 45 min whereas that for the pure BiOI was only 75%. The high photocatalytic Bi-M-x composites would have a potential application in environmental purification owing to its low cost and easy synthesis.