FACILE SYNTHESIS OF BISMUTH OXIDE NANOPARTICLES BY A HYDROLYSIS SOLVOTHERMAL ROUTE AND THEIR VISIBLE LIGHT PHOTOCATALYTIC ACTIVITY

The bismuth oxide (Bi 2 O 3 ) nanoparticles are easily synthesized from a solution of bismuth nitrate pentahydrate (Bi(NO 3 ) 3 •5H 2 O) in ethylene glycol by a hydrolysis solvothermal route at temperatures of 120-150C.X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy are used to characterize the products.The results show that the reaction temperature, the reaction duration and the initial solution concentration play important roles in the formation of the Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles, and all the as-synthesized Bi 2 O 3 samples have the cubic phase structure.In addition, studies of the photocatalytic properties by exposure to visible light irradiation demonstrate that the as-obtained Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles show potential photocatalytic application.