A facile and efficient solvothermal fabrication of three-dimensionally hierarchical BiOBr microspheres with exceptional photocatalytic activity

Three-dimensionally (3-D) hierarchical BiOBr microspheres have been successfully synthesized using a facile and efficient solvothermal method in the reaction system consisting of Bi(NO3)35H2O and KBr as well as ethylene glycol (EG). The characterized results showed that all BiOBr microspheres consisted of pure tetragonal BiOBr phase with good crystallinity. The photocatalytic property of 3-D BiOBr microspheres was investigated by the photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation, the reaction results revealed that the as-prepared microspheres exhibited excellent visible-light-induced photocatalytic activity. Recycling test experiments indicated that the BiOBr microspheres had higher stability and recyclability.