Preparation, characterization, and photocatalytic activity of Bi2O3-Al2O3 nanocomposite

In this investigation, Bi2O3-Al2O3 nanocomposite was synthesized by a non aqueous sol-gel route, and the nanocomposite was distinguished using XRD, SEM, EDX, FTIR, Raman and UV-Vis spectroscopy. According to the XRD results, the average crystal sizes of powder was estimated 23 nm. The SEM results show spherical and semispherical nanoparticles with average diameter of 33 nm. The photocatalytic activity of Bi2O3-Al2O3 nanoparticle was evaluated by degradation of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) solution under UV irradiation. The important factors in degradation such as photocatalyst dosage, and pH on degradation of MB and MO was investigated. According to the obtained results, Bi2O3-Al2O3 nanocomposite shows higher photocatalytic activities than Al2O3 due to nanoparticles size and the unique structural characteristics. The results of degradation tests illustrate that 90.0% of MB and 60.0% of MO degrades using Bi2O3-Al2O3 nanocomposite under UV light and optimum condition. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.