Three-dimensional porous aerogel constructed by Bi2WO6 nanosheets and graphene with excellent visible-light photocatalytic performance

• 3D porous hybird aerogel assembly of Bi2WO6 nanosheets and graphene was firstly prepared via a facile solvothermal route.
• The Rhodamine B (RhB) removal ratio over the 3D hybird aerogel photocatalyst reaches up to 99.6% within 45 min
• Graphene could promote the separation of photocarriers by removing photo-generated electrons from Bi2WO6.
• The O2−
• is the main active species for the degradation of the RhB.

A three-dimensional porous hybrid aerogel assembly of Bi2WO6 nanosheets and graphene has been prepared by a facile solvothermal route. The products are characterized by X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscope, Transmission electron microscopy, and so on. The results show the highly interconnected and porous network microstructure stacked by graphene and Bi2WO6 nanosheets in the hybrid aerogel. The specific surface area of hybrid aerogel (39.4 m2 g−1) is 1.6 times higher than that of Bi2WO6 nanosheets. The Rhodamine B removal ratio over the composite aerogel reaches up to 99.6% within 45 min, which is higher than that of pure Bi2WO6 nansosheets (80%). The excellent photocatalytic performance is mainly owing to the porous structure of aerogel and high electrical conductivity of graphene. The study on the photocatalytic mechanism demonstrates that O2−
• is the main reactive species for Rhodamine B degradation.

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