High-efficiency Photocatalytic Performance of Bi/Bi₂Fe₄O₉ Nanocomposites Synthesized by Hydrothermal Method for Degradation of Bisphenol A

Abstract

Bi/Bi₂Fe₄O₉ nanocomposites consisting of Bi₂Fe₄O₉ nanosheets decorated with Bi nanodots were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The formation of Bi nanodots on the Bi₂Fe₄O₉ nanosheet surfaces was attributed to the reducibility of 2-methoxyethanol in the precursor solution. Comparative photocatalytic evaluation reveals that the Bi/Bi₂Fe₄O₉ nanocomposites significantly enhance the degradation efficiency (99.0%) of bisphenol A compared with Bi₂Fe₄O₉ nanosheets (64.2%) under 120 min simulated solar irradiation. This remarkable enhancement can be attributed to the established Bi/Bi₂Fe₄O₉ heterojunction structure, which effectively facilitates the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and accelerates interfacial charge transfer between the metallic Bi nanodots and semiconductor Bi₂Fe₄O₉ nanosheets. The synergistic effects arising from this unique architecture ultimately lead to superior photocatalytic performance.

Keywords

Bi₂Fe₄O₉ nanosheets / Bi nanodots / nanocomposite / hydrothermal method / photocatalytic performance

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Wuhan University of Technology and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, Part of Springer Nature