Synthesis of flower-like heterostructured β-Bi2O3/Bi2O2CO3 microspheres using Bi2O2CO3 self-sacrifice precursor and its visible-light-induced photocatalytic degradation of o-phenylphenol

Abstract Novel flower-like heterostructured β-Bi 2 O 3 /Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 microspheres are synthesized by calcining a Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 self-sacrifice precursor for the visible-light photocatalytic degradation of o -phenylphenol (OPP, is a widely used fungicide and preservative agent). The Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 microspheres are firstly prepared under hydrothermal conditions, and then converted to Bi 2 O 3 by thermal treatment. With increasing the calcining temperature from 250 to 500 °C, an in situ stepwise decomposition reaction take place during the course of calcination, described as: Bi 2 O 2 CO 3  → β-Bi 2 O 3 /Bi 2 O 2 CO 3  → β-Bi 2 O 3  → β-Bi 2 O 3 /α-Bi 2 O 3  → α-Bi 2 O 3 . The β-Bi 2 O 3 /Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 microspheres synthesized at 300 °C exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity under visible-light irradiation, which can degrade 99.8% OPP in 45 min. And the degradation rate of the heterostructured photocatalyst is approximately 2, 2.6, 6, 13, 80, and 827 times higher than that of single β-Bi 2 O 3 , mixed β-Bi 2 O 3 and Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 , commercial β-Bi 2 O 3 , α-Bi 2 O 3 , N-doped TiO 2 , and Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 , respectively. The superior photoreactivity of the β-Bi 2 O 3 /Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 is attributed to the enhanced charge separation and transfer due to the formation of p–n junction with large heterojunction interface, favorable band gap energy (2.27 eV), relatively high specific surface areas (12.5 m 2  g −1 ), and flower-like hierarchical micro/nano structures. In addition, the degradation intermediates including ethyl phenethyl ether, phenyl acetaldehyde, and phenylacetic acid are identified. And the results also reveal that the photogenerated holes and •O 2 − radicals are primarily reactive species in the photocatalytic system, which are the key factors responsible for the nearly complete mineralization of OPP.