Synthesis of bismuth silicate nanostructures with tunable morphology and enhanced photocatalytic activity

Abstract

Bismuth oxide due to its narrow bandgap has attracted significant attention as a photocatalyst. A facile and efficient method to synthesize bismuth silicate with tunable morphology and property is achieved in this study. Bismuth oxide and bismuth silicate have been synthesized by surfactant-assisted modified sol-gel method. The fabricated bismuth oxide nanoparticle samples are characterized by various analytical tools such as X-Ray diffractometer, Infra-Red spectroscopy, Scanning Electron microscopy and UV-Diffuse Reflectance spectroscopy. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Rhodamine B dye in aqueous medium. Bismuth silicate exerts more satisfactory catalytic property and outstanding reusability compared to pure bismuth oxide. The superior stability and enhanced activity enables the application of bismuth silicate as a photocatalyst for environmental remediation.