Bi4Ti3O12 Synthesized by High Temperature Solid Phase Method and it's Visible Catalytic Activity

Oxides containing bismuth with layer structures are well known for their unique properties and high visible catalytic activity. In this paper, Bi2O3 and TiO2 were used as raw materials to synthesize Bi4Ti3O12 by high temperature solid phase method. The shape and crystal structure of Bi4Ti3O12 were characterized via X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), High resolution TEM (HRTEM), and Selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The photochemical characteristics of products were measured by UV-Vis absorption. We focused on the environmental application of the prepared nanoparticles for the destructions of chlorine phenol (4-CP) and microcystin-RR (MC-RR) under visible light irradiation (> 420 nm). The results demonstrated that nearly all of 4-CP and MC-RR were degraded by Bi4Ti3O12 which showed superior photocatalytic activity. At the same time, transient oxidative species generated during photocatalysis were tracked by Electron spin resonance (EPR), which indicated that the major oxidative species in the system were hydroxyl radical (OH) and superoxide radical (O).