Abstract
Pure Bi4Ti3O12 (BTO) and Fe-doped Bi4Ti3O12 (Fe/BTO) nanosheets with exposed {001} facets were synthesized by a one-step molten salt method. Au nanoparticles with a diameter range of 20–50 nm were loaded on 2%Fe-doped Bi4Ti3O12 (Au-2%Fe/BTO) nanosheets via a room-temperature hydrogen peroxide reduction method. The UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra showed that the Fe/BTO and Au-2%Fe/BTO samples exhibit an obvious red shift in visible light absorption band in comparison with the pure BTO. Phenol and bisphenol A solutions were chosen as model organic pollutants to verify the influence of Fe3+-doping and plasmonic effect of Au nanoparticles on the photocatalytic activity of the catalyst. The Au-2%Fe/BTO sample exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity compared with other samples. The high photocatalytic activity of Au-2%Fe/BTO rises from two contributions: i) the Fe3+ ion acts as an efficient scavenger to trap electrons, and hence promotes the separation of photo-induced electron-hole pairs; ii) the visible light response of the catalyst is enhanced by the surface plasmon resonance effect from the Au nanoparticles.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 72-82 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Applied Catalysis B: Environmental |
Volume | 200 |
Early online date | 28 Jun 2016 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 2017 |
Keywords
- Molten-salt method
- Nanosheet
- Facet
- Plasmonic
- Photocatalytic activity