Electrospun ZnO/Bi2O3 nanofibers with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Abstract

ZnO/Bi2O3 nanofibers were synthesized by a simple electrospinning method and both the UV and visible light responsive photocatalytic properties were studied by the decolorization of RhB dye. Thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) were employed to study the structure, morphology, and optical properties of the ZnO/Bi2O3 nanofibers, respectively. The relationship between the ZnO/Bi2O3 ratio and photocatalytic activity was also studied, and the composite with a molar ratio of 23: 1 demonstrated the best activity under both excitations. The photocatalytic mechanisms for the composite fibers can be described as the direct photocatalysis under UV excitation and photosensitation for visible light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activities can be ascribed to the effective electron-hole pairs separation that leads to the promoted photocatalytic efficiency. © 2014 Yingying Yang et al.