Enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity of Sn doped Bi2WO6 nanocrystals

The Sn doped Bi2WO6 sheet like nanocrystals have been synthesized by a hydrothermal route. All the products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The powder XRD results show that all the samples were crystallized in orthorhombic lattice and a sheet like morphology was confirmed by HRTEM. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by decolorization of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. Interestingly, the 2 mol% Sn doped Bi2WO6 sample has the best activity in the photodegradation of RhB under visible light. The reasons for the differences in the photocatalytic activities of the samples are further investigated. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.