Synthesis and characterization of Bi2WO6 nanoplates using egg white as a biotemplate through sol-gel method

Bi2WO6 nanoplates with thickness of about 100 nm had been successfully synthesized by sol-gel method using egg white proteins (albumin) as a biotemplate. On the basis of results of morphologies observation, it was found that albumin was critical for controlling the morphologies of the final products. Photocatalytic activities of the samples were evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. Due to the combined effects of high specific area, high light absorption and efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, Bi2WO6 photocatalyst synthesized in the presence of albumin exhibited better photocatalytic activity than that Bi2WO6 synthesized without using albumin. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.