Effect of pH values on photocatalytic properties of Bi₂WO₆ synthesized by hydrothermal method

Abstract

Highly crystalline orthorhombic Bi₂WO₆ powders were hydrothermally synthesized from aqueous solutions of Na₂WO₄ · 2H₂O and Bi (NO₃)₃ · 5H₂O over a wide range of pH. The effect of pH on morphologies, sizes and properties of the Bi₂WO₆ crystals was investigated. The band gaps of the as-prepared Bi₂WO₆ were determined from the onset of the absorption edge of UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The methyl orange photodegradation was employed as a probe reaction to test the photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared samples under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic activities of methyl orange degradation under visible light irradiation are strongly dependent on the pH used in the synthesis. The highest efficiency is observed at pH=7.

Keywords

Bi₂WO₆ / hydrothermal synthesis / photocatalytic / visible light irradiation

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