In-situ hydrothermal synthesis of TiO2/Bi2WO6 heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Highly dispersed TiO2-modified Bi2WO6 microflowers were synthesized by using the hydrothermal method. The morphology and structure of as-prepared samples were characterized by SEM, TEM, EDS, XRD, Raman, UV-vis DRS, and TR-PL spectra. The heterostructured TiO2/Bi2WO6 exhibits a higher photocatalytic activity than pure TiO2 and Bi2WO6 under visible and UV-vis light irradiation. In addition, the recycling experiments indicate that TiO2/Bi2WO6 is excellent stability even after 5 five cycling runs. TR-PL spectra confirm that the coupling of Bi2WO6 with TiO2 significantly prolongs the lifetime of charge carriers. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of TiO2/Bi2WO6 is mainly attributed to the optimized bandgap and heterojunction, which absorb more visible light and prolong the carrier lifetime.