F-Bi4TaO8Cl flower-like hierarchical structures: controlled preparation, formation mechanism and visible photocatalytic hydrogen production

Abstract

Flower-like hierarchical structures of F-Bi4TaO8Cl were prepared via a facile hydrothermal route. The formation mechanism has been revealed to be a fluorine-mediated stepwise growth of F-Bi4TaO8Cl on the basis of the experimental results. The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared product has been evaluated for hydrogen production by splitting water under visible light irradiation. It has been observed that flower-like hierarchical structures exhibited high photocatalytic activity compared with commercial Ta2O5, which may be ascribed to its unique hierarchical structure, greater light collection and harvesting ability, efficient charge separation and low band gap (2.25 eV). Our work provides a promising strategy for the controlled synthesis of visible-light driven photocatalysts for hydrogen production and can be potentially extended for the controlled synthesis and design of other semiconductors for energy production and environmental remediation.