Hydrothermal preparation and photocatalytic performance of bi2o3

Bismuth oxide (Bi₂O₃) powders with different morphologies were successfully prepared by hydrothermal method using bismuth nitrate pentahydrate as the source and ammonia or sodium hydroxide as the mineralizing agent, and the phases and morphologies of the products were characterized by X-ray diffractometer and scanning electron microscopy, and the effects of different mineralizing agents on the phase, morphology and photocatalytic activity of the samples were studied. The results showed that sodium hydroxide and ammonia were used as mineralizing agents to obtain Bi₂O₃ in rod form and sheet form, respectively. The samples could degrade methyl orange under simulated visible light, and the photodegradation effect of the sample prepared when the ammonia addition amount was 30ml was the best, and the degradation rate could reach 96% after 90min of visible light irradiation.