Hydrothermal synthesis and formation mechanism of single-crystal Auivillius Bi4Ti3O12 nanosheets with ammonium bismuth citrate (C6H10BiNO8) as Bi sources

Single-crystalline Auivillium Bi4Ti3O12 nanosheets with dominant (0 1 0) facets have been successfully synthesized by using ammonium bismuth citrate (C6H10BiNO8) as bismuth sources via a conventional hydrothermal route. The as-prepared Bi4Ti3O12 nanosheets were characterized by X-ray diffracton, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution TEM, and selected area electron diffraction. In order to understand the formation mechanism of the Bi4Ti3O12 nanosheets, a set of time-dependent experiments were carried out. The results reveal that the (C6H10NO8)3− ions involved in the feedstock suspensions released by the ionization of C6H10BiNO8 play an important role in the formation of the Bi4Ti3O12 nanosheets. A possible formation mechanism of the Bi4Ti3O12 nanosheets has been discussed based on the analyses of the lattice structure of Bi4Ti3O12 and the effect of C6H10BiNO8 used in the feedstock precursors.