Synthesis and visible-light photocatalytic property of Bi2WO6 hierarchical octahedron-like structures

A novel octahedron-like hierarchical structure of Bi2WO6 has been fabricated by a facile hydrothermal method in high quantity. XRD, SEM, TEM, and HRTEM were used to characterize the product. The results indicated that this kind of Bi2WO6 crystals had an average size of similar to 4 mu m, constructed by quasi-square single-crystal nanosheets assembled in a special fashion. The formation of octahedron-like hierarchical structure of Bi2WO6 depended crucially on the pH value of the precursor suspensions. The photocatalytic activity of the hierarchical Bi2WO6 structures toward RhB degradation under visible light was investigated, and it was found to be significantly better than that of the sample fabricated by SSR. The better photocatalytic property should be strongly associated with the high specific surface area and the abundant pore structure of the hierarchical octahedron-like Bi2WO6.