A generalized strategy for synthesizing crystalline bismuth-containing nanomaterials

Bismuth oxide and its derivatives are promising materials that have applications varying from catalysis to energy-storage devices. Most of these applications benefit from the creation of crystalline nanostructures. Herein, we present a simple and fast polymer-assisted precipitation method to synthesize various crystalline bismuth oxide nanomaterials, including bismuth oxide (Bi₂O₃) microrods, bismuth-transition metal mixed oxide (Bi_xM_yO_z, M = V, Cr, Mo, or W) nanoparticles/rods, and bismuth oxyhalide (BiOX, X = Cl, Br, or I) nanoplates. All these materials are semiconductors with bandgaps in the range of 1.76-3.43 eV. This strategy can also be used to fabricate nanostructured composites (e.g., bismuth vanadate nanoparticles on BiOX nanosheets), copper oxide nanoparticles, and potentially other metal oxide nanomaterials.