Preparation, characterization and photocatalytic activity of Bi2O3–MgO composites

A series of Bi2O3–MgO composites were synthesized by solvent-thermal method. It was found that the Bi2O3–MgO composites perform much better than TiO2 (P25), Bi2O3 and MgO in the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) in the presence of HCl and under irradiation of visible light (λ > 400 nm). The effects of Bi/Mg molar ratio, crystallization temperature of Bi2O3–MgO and reaction conditions on photocatalytic activity were studied. The best performance was observed over the composite with Bi:Mg molar ratio equal to 2:1 that had been subject to crystallization at 120 °C for 20 h. In addition, the photocatalytic efficiency of the composite can be significantly enhanced by the presence of hydrochloric acid. The prepared samples were characterized by XRD and UV–vis DRS techniques. The relationships between the structure and photocatalytic performance of the as-prepared Bi2O3–MgO samples were also investigated.