Mesoporous Ni-Doped δ-Bi2O3 Microspheres for Enhanced Solar-Driven Photocatalysis: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Investigation

Ni-doped Bi2O3 (Ni-Bi2O3) microspheres have been synthesized by a one-pot solvothermal route. The morphology and structure of Ni-Bi2O3 microspheres can be well controlled by tailoring the preparative parameters (e.g., the content of Ni and reaction time). The resulted Ni-Bi2O3 microspheres are formed via a dissolution-recrystallization process resulting in mesoporous structure. Furthermore, when using as photocatalyst for removal of NO in air, it exhibits an enhanced performance in comparison with bare Bi2O3 under simulated solar light. First-principles calculations reveal that the enhanced activity of the catalyst could be attributed to the modification of geometric and electronic structure resulting from the dopant Ni. The present work could provide a new approach for synthesizing doped mesoporous Bi2O3 nanostructures with controlled morphology.