Room-temperature synthesis of BiOCl and (BiO)2CO3 with predominant {001} facets induced by urea and their photocatalytic performance

BiOCl and (BiO)(2)CO3 nanosheets with predominantly exposed {001} facets (respectively denoted as BiOCl-001 and (BiO)(2)CO3-001) were easily synthesized at room temperature in aqueous urea solution. Urea could not only prohibit the hydrolysis of Bi(NO3)(3)center dot 5H(2)O, but also inhibit the growth of (001) plane, leading to the formation of BiOCl and (BiO)(2)CO3 nanosheets with dominant {001} facets. As compared to BiOCl and (BiO)(2)CO3 thick sheets without preferentially exposed facets, both BiOCl-001 and (BiO)(2)CO3-001 exhibit universally enhanced photocatalytic performance toward decomposition of multiple contaminants including dye model rhodamine (RhB), methylene blue (MB) and crystal violet (CV) under visible light (lambda >= 420 nm) irradiation, and phenol and salicylic acid (SA) under simulated sunlight. The asprepared BiOCl-001 and (BiO)(2)CO3-001 also possess high photochemical stability and therefore may become potential photocatalysts for practical application in environmental remedies. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.