Synthesis and photocatalytic activity of BiOBr nanosheets with tunable exposed {0 1 0} facets

• BiOBr nanosheets with tunable exposed {0 1 0} facets were obtained.
• The proportion of {0 1 0} facets are controllable.
• The catalyst showed enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible-light.
• The mechanism of the growth of BiOBr material was proposed.

A series of BiOBr nanosheets with tunable exposing proportion of (0 1 0) facets had been synthesized. In the synthesis process, different n-alcohols are used, which not only promote the exposure of (0 1 0) facets, but also modulate the size and thickness of these BiOBr nanosheets in a wide range. Furthermore, these nanosheets showed an efficient photodegradation activity for salicylic acid (SA) and Rhodamine B (RhB). By comparison, the sample prepared in n-hexanol possessed the highest photocatalytic activity than those synthesized in n-butanol and methanol, respectively. This excellent photocatalytic activity was attributed to the thin lamellar thickness and the exposure of (0 1 0) facets, which facilitated the separation of photoinduced electrons and holes.

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