Novel nanoparticle-assembled Bi12GeO20 hierarchical structures: facile hydrothermal synthesis and excellent photocatalytic activity†
Abstract
The hydrothermal synthesis strategy is being widely applied to the preparation of various inorganic nano- or micro-structures due to its facile and mild reaction environment that allows effective control of the morphologies and phases of the products. Through careful modulation of the hydrothermal synthesis reaction conditions, we have successfully fabricated novel nanoparticle-assembled Bi12GeO20 hierarchical structures whose morphology, phase and size can be adjusted, confirmed with various testing techniques including powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR spectrum, X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, the effect of some factors such as synthesis temperature, time, the mass of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, the type and amount of mineralizing agent on the morphologies and phases of the samples are systematically studied. On the basis of abundant experimental facts, a probable formation process is presented. The photocatalytic activity of the as-obtained Bi12GeO20 hierarchical structures was also investigated, which exhibited remarkable photocatalytic performance for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB).
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