Hydrothermal synthesis of Bismuth(III) coordination polymer and its transformation to nano α-Bi2O3 for photocatalytic degradation

A new Bi(III) coordination polymer Bi-2(Hpdc)(2)(pdc)(2)center dot 2H2O (H(2)pdc=pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid) was synthesized by hydrothermal method. Solid state thermal decomposition of this complex under 500 degrees C for 1 h led to the foliated Bi2O3 nanoparticles, which were then characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Comparative study on their photocatalytic activity toward the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB), methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) in polluted water was explored, and the mechanism of these photocatalytic degradation was discussed. These results provided some interesting insights into their photocatalytic applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.