Photocatalytic properties of Bi2O2CO3 nanosheets synthesized via a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method

Bi2O2CO3 nanosheets were synthesized via a facile sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-assisted hydrothermal process. X-Ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy techniques were used to investigate the phase structure, morphology and optical properties of the Bi2O2CO3 products. The SDS surfactant played an important role in the formation of Bi2O2CO3 nanosheets. As-synthesized Bi2O2CO3 nanosheets exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for RhB degradation under irradiation with simulated sunlight. O-2(center dot-) radicals are considered to be the dominant active oxygen species in the photodegradation process. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.