Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance of β-Bi2O3 Nanospheres Under Visible Light Irradiation

Beta-bismuth (III) oxide (β-Bi2O3) nanoparticles with a demonstrated diameter of roughly 200,350 nm were successfully fabricated using a hydrothermal approach under the low calcination temperature of 350 °C. Several characterization methods including powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) outfitted with Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS), and UV–Vis spectroscopy were carried out in detail to study the crystal geometry, surface morphological, and optical properties of the prepared sample. UV–vis spectroscopy analysis demonstrated that the resulting β-Bi2O3 nanopowder exhibited broad absorption spectra with a narrow band gap of about 2.25 eV. Visible light stimulated photocatalytic activity of β-Bi2O3 nanoparticles was investigated thoroughly using a 1000 W Xu lamp as the light source outfitted with a 420 nm cutoff filter. Under visible range, the as-synthesized photocatalyst demonstrated excellent results for the degradation and decolorization of Methylene blue (MB). The superior photocatalytic activity is attributed to high oxidation power, low energy band gap, and enhanced effective surface area offered by β-Bi2O3 nanospheres.