Preparation, characterization and photocatalytic properties of doped and undoped Bi2O3

CuO-doped Bi2O3 and undoped Bi2O3 were prepared using tartaric acid assisted co-precipitation to be applied as nano-photocatalysts for shape controlling Al2O3 ceramics. The prepared powders annealed at 300 °C were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet-visible absorbance spectroscopy (UV-vis) and photoluminescence (PL) spectrophotometry. According to the XRD results the undoped sample consisted of pure β-Bi2O3 while the doped one consisted of β-Bi2O3-CuBi2O4. The prepared Bi2O3 powders were characterized by band gap energy values ranging from 3.0 to 2.3 eV. The developed CuBi2O4 was characterized by band gap energy of 1.3 eV. Al2O3 ceramics were prepared using a modified polyol method. A marked variation in the microstructure of Al2O3 ceramics treated with the different prepared nano-photocatalysts was observed. This variation was referred to the free motions of photocarriers that were the backbone in varying the size, composition and morphology of the particles.