Photocatalytic properties BiOCl and Bi2O3 nanofibers prepared by electrospinning

A simple electrospinning method was used to fabricate polymer/inorganic composite fibers from solutions containing polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and BiCl3, and PAN and Bi(NO3)3, respectively. By performing a calcining process for the composite fibers at 500 °C for 10 h, BiOCl and Bi2O3 nanofibers were successfully prepared. The as-prepared BiOCl and Bi2O3 nanofibers exhibit tetragonal and β phase, respectively. The photocatalytic test shows that BiOCl and Bi2O3 nanofibers possess photocatalytic properties with regard to decomposing rhodamine B under ultraviolet light.