Solvothermal synthesis of Bi₂O₂CO₃ nanoplates for efficient photodegradation of rhb and phenol under simulated solar light irradiation

Monodispersed Bi₂O₂CO₃ nanoplates with an average width of 320 nm and thicknesses of 50-90 nm were successfully synthesized by a simple solvothermal method in a mixture solution of polyethylene glycol and H₂O. The obtained nanoplates were characterized by means of XRD, FT-IR, SEM and TEM. The effect of surfactant sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate on the morphology of Bi₂O₂CO₃ product was investigated. Under simulated solar light irradiation, Bi₂O₂CO₃ nanoplates exhibited superior photocatalytic activities towards the degradation of RhB as well as high chemical stability upon cycling photocatalytic test. The nanoplates also showed promising photodegradation ability for eliminating refractory pollutant of phenol. The excellent photocatalytic performance of Bi₂O₂CO₃ nanoplates as compared with P25-TiO₂ endows them as promising high efficiency photocatalysts.