Facile hydrolysis synthesis of novel Bi12O17Br2 photocatalyst with superior reduction ability and photocatalytic activity

A novel Bi12O17Br2 nanoparticle photocatalyst has been successfully prepared at room temperature by a facile hydrolysis route. The structure, morphology, band-gap, and optical property of Bi12O17Br2 were characterized by XRD, SEM, VB-XPS, Mott-Schottky method and DRS. The photocatalytic activity and stability of Bi12O17Br2 were evaluated by degradation of resorcinol under simulated sunlight irradiation. The results revealed that Bi12O17Br2 nanoparticle photocatalyst exhibits a superior reduction ability and photocatalytic activity. In addition, the repeated experiments displayed that Bi12O17Br2 has good chemical stability. Moreover, the inherent energy levels of Bi12O17Br2 make it very suitable for the photo-degradation of organics in environment, so Bi12O17Br2 has a potential practical application.