Surfactant-free synthesis of Bi2WO6 multilayered disks with visible-light-induced photocatalytic activity

The synthesis of bismuth tungstate (Bi2WO6) multilayered disk which was constructed by oriented square nanoplates was easily realized via a simple surfactant-free hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used to investigate the as-obtained product. The results indicated that the three-dimensional (313) Bi2WO6 multilayered disk was constructed by self-assembly of square nanoplates via a perfect oriented manner. The formation mechanism of the product was carefully investigated on the basis of the results of time-dependent experiments. In addition, studies of the photocatalytic property demonstrated that the as-obtained Bi2WO6 could exhibit excellent visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.