Solvothermal Synthesis of Layered BiOCl Nanosheets and Their Efficient Visible-Light-Induced Photocatalytic Activities

Different bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) nanosheets were successfully synthesized via a facile solvothermal process in different solvents. The products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS) and nitrogen adsorption. The prepared sheet-like BiOCl products showed different optical properties, BET surface areas and photocatalytic activities on the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation (lambda > 400 nm). More importantly, the as-synthesized BiOCl nanosheets exhibited superior photocatalytic activities compared with commercial BiOCl and TiO2 under visible light irradiation. The visible-light-induced degradation of RhB over the as-synthesized BiOCl photocatalysts was mainly ascribed to the photosensitization process and their layered structures.