Synthesis of Bi4O5I2 microbars for pollutant degradation through a photocatalytic process

Bi4O5I2microbars were synthesized by a hydrothermal method and then characterized using a set of instrumental techniques. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed the successful preparation of Bi4O5I2 microbars. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the sample were well indexed to the monoclinic phase of Bi4O5I2. The elemental composition was studied by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and it was similar to the theorical formula Bi4O5I2. The synthetized microbars despite of their low visible-light response could degrade up to 92.66% of Bisphenol A under white light-emitting diode (LED) light irradiation. The photocatalytic degradation and mineralization tests showed that Bi4O5I2 microbars could be efficiently used for the degradation of organic chemical pollutants.

Automated summary

Bi4O5I2 microbars were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method and characterized by various instrumental techniques including SEM, TEM, XRD, and EDS. The synthesized microbars exhibited a monoclinic phase and had a similar elemental composition to the theoretical formula. Despite their low visible-light response, the microbars showed high efficiency in degrading Bisphenol A under white LED light irradiation. The results suggest that Bi4O5I2 microbars can be effectively used for the degradation of organic chemical pollutants.