Facile Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide (CTAB)-assisted Synthesis of Calcium Bismuthate Nanoflakes with Solar Light Photocatalytic Performance

Abstract

Background: Wastewater with dyes pollutes the environment and causes serious risk to human health and aquatic biota. Gentian violet (GV) belongs to typical triphenylmethane dyes and is difficult to be degraded. Calcium bismuthate nanoflakes possess good photocatalytic activity toward GV under solar light irradiation. Objective: The aim of the study was to prepare calcium bismuthate nanoflakes by the hydrothermal method and research on the solar light photocatalytic performance of the calcium bismuthate nanoflakes for GV degradation. Methods: The calcium bismuthate nanoflakes possess single crystalline monoclinic CaBi2O4 phase. The size of the whole nanoflakes is about 10 μm and the thickness of the nanoflakes is about 40 nm. The morphology, size and phase of the products are closely relative to CTAB concentration, reaction temperature and reaction time. The bandgap of the calcium bismuthate nanoflakes is 2.21 eV. The photocatalytic activity of the calcium bismuthate nanoflakes is high enough to completely degrade GV under solar light irradiation for 6 h. Results: The calcium bismuthate nanoflakes possess single crystalline mono clinic CaBi2O4 phase. The size of the whole nanoflakes is about 10 μm and thickness of the nanoflakes is about 40 nm. The morphology, size and phase of the products are closely relative to CTAB concentration, reaction temperature and reaction time. The band gap of the calcium bismuthate nanoflakes is 2.21 eV. The photocatalytic activity of the calcium bismuthate nanoflakes is high enough to completely degrade GV under solar light irradiation for 6 h. Conclusion: The photocatalytic performance for the removal of GV is dependent on the irradiation time, dosage of the calcium bismuthate nanoflakes and initial GV concentration. The calcium bismuthate nanoflakes exhibit great promising activity for the removal of organic pollutants.