Enhanced photocatalytic performance of three-dimensional microstructure Bi2SiO5 by ionic liquid assisted hydrothermal synthesis

In this demonstration, Bi2SiO5 photocatalysts were prepared using ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMim]BF4) as a soft template. X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), photoelectrochemical measurement and Raman were applied to investigate the structures, morphologies, optical and electronic properties. The results show that [BMim]BF4 affects the growth of IL-Bi2SiO5 grains and induces Bi2SiO5 to form thinner nanosheets. When the mass ratio of [BMim]BF4/Bi2SiO5 is 3%, Bi2SiO5 nanosheets begin to assemble into three-dimensional (3-D) flower-like structure. Rhodamine B (RhB) was employed to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of IL-Bi2SiO5. Under UV light irradiation, the degradation rate constant of RhB over the 3% sample is 5 times of that over the reference Bi2SiO5.

Automated summary

By using an ionic liquid as a soft template in the preparation of Bi2SiO5 photocatalysts, it is possible to control the morphology and structure of the material, significantly improving its photocatalytic performance.