Plasmonic metallic Bi deposited Bi 12 SiO 20 crystals with rich oxygen vacancies for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of RhB and 2,4-DCP

Abstract Metallic Bi coupled Bi 12 SiO 20 (Bi/BSO) is synthesized by a solvothermal method. Characterization demonstrates the presence of Bi metal on Bi 12 SiO 20 , the intimate interface between Bi metal and Bi 12 SiO 20 , and the existence of oxygen vacancies in Bi/BSO. It possesses improved photocatalytic activity, and its reaction rates are 23 and 1.4 times higher than those of Bi 12 SiO 20 in RhB and 2,4-DCP removal. Its enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to its enhanced visible-light-response and improved charge separation resulting from the surface plasmon resonance effect endowed by metallic Bi and the unique features of oxygen vacancies on Bi 12 SiO 20 . Meanwhile, with the addition of H 2 O 2 , its reaction rates are 3 times higher than that of Bi 12 SiO 20 in 2, 4-DCP removal, indicating that oxygen vacancies are beneficial for the generation of OH. This work paves a new way to enhance the photocatalytic activity of Bi 12 SiO 20 by utilizing the cost-effective plasmonic Bi metal and oxygen vacancies.