Novel formation of Bi@BiFe-glycolate hollow spheres and their conversion into Bi2O3/BiFeO3 composite hollow spheres with enhanced activity and durability in visible photocatalysis

Abstract

In recent years, materials with extraordinary hollow structures have been widely studied because of their enormous potential in many research fields such as in advanced energy conversion and storage. The design and synthesis of an innovative hollow structure via a facile method is the key to enhance the performance of advanced energy materials in various applications. In this study, we report novel hollow passion fruit-like Bi@BiFe-glycolate microspheres (3.5 μm), which are constructed using BiFe-glycolate nanosheets and Bi nanospheres. They are designed and synthesized via a facile one-pot solvothermal method, and a mechanism of “spit and swallow” process is presented to describe the reaction. Moreover, the Bi₂O₃/BiFeO₃ photocatalyst obtained by annealing the Bi@BiFe-glycolate precursors under an air atmosphere exhibits enhanced photocatalytic activity and cycling stability under visible light irradiation due to its special morphology and band structure. The photocatalyst can also be recycled conveniently owing to its magnetic properties. In general, this study focuses on both nanomaterial synthetic methods and photocatalytic performance improvement.