Achieving superior visible-light photocatalytic activity of surface-defect-rich Bi4Ti3O12 platelets

Bismuth Titanite (Bi4Ti3O12) platelets with surface defects were successfully synthesized via a simple ball milling route. The additive Li with strong reducibility stripped off the surface atoms from the (Bi2O2)(2+) slabs and even (Bi2Ti3O10)(2-) perovskite layers, leaving abundant surface defects. The defect-rich Bi4Ti3O12 platelets with a narrowed band gap achieved excellent degradability, capable of degrading Rhodamine B (RhB) completely within 25 min under visible light irradiation. The results of this study demonstrated the extraordinary photodegradation performance of micro-sized catalysts.

Automated summary

Bismuth Titanite platelets with surface defects were synthesized successfully using a simple ball milling method, which exhibited narrowed band gap and excellent degradation performance, capable of quickly degrading organic dyes under visible light irradiation.