Ionothermal Synthesis of BiOCl Nanostructures via a Long-Chain Ionic Liquid Precursor Route

Ultrathin BiOCl nanoflakes, nanoplate arrays, and curved nanoplates have been successfully synthesized via an ionothermal synthetic route by using an ionic liquid 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C(16)Mim]Cl) as all-in-one solvent, simply adjusting reaction temperature. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), separately. Possible formation mechanisms of various nanostructures were proposed in terms of crystal growth habit and dynamics. In addition, the excellent adsorption performance of the as-prepared BiOCl nanoplates makes them useful with potential applications in the aspect of wastewater treatment.