Enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity of Sn doped Bi < inf > 2 < /inf > WO < inf > 6 < /inf > nanocrystals

Abstract

The Sn doped Bi2WO6 sheet like nanocrystals have been synthesized by a hydrothermal route. All the products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The powder XRD results show that all the samples were crystallized in orthorhombic lattice and a sheet like morphology was confirmed by HRTEM. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by decolorization of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. Interestingly, the 2 mol% Sn doped Bi2WO6 sample has the best activity in the photodegradation of RhB under visible light. The reasons for the differences in the photocatalytic activities of the samples are further investigated.