Bismuth titanate nanorods and their visible light photocatalytic properties

Bismuth titanate nanorods have been prepared using a facile hydrothermal process without additives. The bismuth titanate products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) and UV-vis diffusion reflectance spectrum. XRD pattern shows that the bismuth titanate nanorods are composed of cubic Bi2Ti2O7 phase. Electron microscopy images show that the length and diameter of the bismuth titanate nanorods are 50-200 nm and 2 mu m, respectively. Hydrothermal temperature and reaction time play important roles on the formation and size of the bismuth titanate nanorods. UV-vis diffusion reflectance spectrum indicates that bismuth titanate nanorods have a band gap of 2.58 eV. The bismuth titanate nanorods exhibit good photocatalytic activities in the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) and Rhodamine B (RB) under visible light irradiation. The bismuth titanate nanorods with cubic Bi2Ti2O7 phase are a promising candidate as a visible light photocatalyst. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.