Simple hydrolysis route to synthesize Bi2O2CO3 nanoplate from Bi nanopowder and its photocatalytic application

•Bi2O2CO3 nanoplate has been synthesized by a facile hydrolysis method using Bi nanopowder as Bi source.•A possible reaction mechanism has been proposed.•The photocatalytic activities of Bi and Bi2O2CO3 have Been evaluated by NO removal.

In this study Bi2O2CO3 nanoplate was fabricated via hydrolyzing Bi nanopowder obtained from electrochemical method. The synthetic procedure is easy and environmentally friendly. The microstructure, morphology, and optical property of Bi2O2CO3 nanoplate were characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM, HRTEM, and UV–vis DRS. A plausible reaction mechanism of obtained product was proposed. Moreover, the photocatalytic activities of Bi nanopowder and Bi2O2CO3 nanoplate have been evaluated by NO removal, and the NO removal ratios of Bi nanopowder and Bi2O2CO3 nanoplate reached 49% and 60% under simulated sunlight illumination, respectively. The higher efficiency of Bi2O2CO3 nanoplate can be ascribed to its large surface area as assembled to microspheric structure.