Abstract:
Bi
12TiO
20 crystals with different morphologies are prepared by a hydrothermal process with no surfactants using Bi (NO
3)
3·5H
2O and Ti (OC
4H
9)
4. The morphologies and crystal structures are characterized by SEM and XRD. The results indicate that netlike and plate-like Bi
12TiO
20 crystals can be synthesized using KOH and NaOH, respectively, both belonging to the cubic crystal system. Furthermore, the photocatalysis properties are characterized by the photodegradation of RhB under simulated sunlight illumination. The results show that the two Bi
12TiO
20 samples synthesized by hydrothermal method have enhanced photocatalysis properties comparing with those synthesized by solid-state reaction under visible light irradiation. The photodegradation rate of RhB with plate-like Bi
12TiO
20 crystals can reach 78.2 % after 180 min of illumination.