Orthorhombic Bi2GeO5 Nanobelts: Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Properties

One-dimensional Bi2GeO5 nanobelts were first directly prepared by a surfactant-templated hydrothermal process. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy were used to characterize the obtained samples. By use of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide as the structure-directing template, Bi2GeO5 nanobelts; with widths of about 70-180 nm were obtained. The mechanisms related to the morphology control of Bi2GeO5 are proposed and discussed. The UV-vis absorption spectra show that the as-prepared nanomaterials have a strong absorption edge in UV light and that their band gaps are somewhat relevant to the size and morphology. As a novel photocatalyst, the prepared Bi2GeO5 samples exhibit relatively high photocatalytic activity for the decomposition of azo dye methyl orange under UV irradiations. The samples obtained under different amounts of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide exhibited different photocatalytic performances. The effects of the crystallinity, specific surface area and morphology of the samples on the photocatalytic activities are also discussed.