Nanoplates-assembled Bi2WO6 microcoins with hierarchical porous structure as efficient visible-light-active photocatalysts

Abstract The hierarchical porous bismuth tungstate (Bi 2 WO 6 ) microcoins constructed by nanoplates have been successfully fabricated via a facile hydrothermal method with the assistance of nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA). X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were carried out to investigate the influences of NTA content on the morphology and microstructure of Bi 2 WO 6 . The results demonstrated that NTA has significant effect on the diameter and morphology of Bi 2 WO 6 . When the content of NTA is 0.8 g, Bi 2 WO 6 exhibited a hierarchical porous coin-like structure that consisted of numerous interconnected nanoplates with the diameter of approximately 50 nm. The corresponding growth mechanism also has been proposed and discussed. Moreover, due to the unique hierarchical porous structure and narrow band gap energy, Bi 2 WO 6 with 0.8 g NTA sample exhibited the superior photocatalytic activity to the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible-light irradiation.