Combustion Synthesis of BiOCl with Tunable Percentage of Exposed {001} Facets and Enhanced Photocatalytic Properties

Bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) was synthesized by a simple combustion method. The structures, morphologies, absorbance, optical, and photocatalytic properties of the samples were studied by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, and photoluminescence. The experimental results show that BiOCl microsheet with high percentage of exposed {001} facets was obtained. It is interesting to note that the thickness of BiOCl sheets, in other words, the percentage of exposed {001} facets can be modulated through changing the added amount of ammonium chloride. The sample with the thinnest BiOCl sheets shows the best photodegradation performance of Rhodamine B under ultraviolet light irradiation, which can be attributed to the cooperative effect between the high percentage of exposed {001} facets and high-specific surface area. Moreover, the corresponding influencing mechanism on the percentage of exposed {001} facets of BiOCl was discussed.