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Enhanced photocatalytic removal of hexavalent chromium and organic dye from aqueous solution by hybrid bismuth titanate Bi4Ti3O12/Bi2Ti2O7

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Abstract

A hybrid bismuth titanate Bi4Ti3O12/Bi2Ti2O7 obtained via a one-step annealing procedure was employed as photocatalyst to oxidize rhodamine B dyes (RhB) and reduce hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). The prepared Bi4Ti3O12/Bi2Ti2O7 was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The photocatalytic experiments revealed that the hybrid bismuth titanate Bi4Ti3O12/Bi2Ti2O7 subjected to heat treatment at 800 °C (BTO-800) exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity in the oxidation of RhB dyes as well as the reduction of Cr(VI) relative to Bi4Ti3O12. Meanwhile, the removal efficiency of Cr(VI) in the BTO-800/Cr(VI)/RhB system was significantly higher than that in the RhB/Cr(VI) or BTO-800/Cr(VI) mixtures. The enhanced performance of the ternary system (BTO-800/RhB/Cr(VI)) was attributed to the synergistic effect between dyes and Cr(VI). Moreover, the heterostructure constructed by Bi4Ti3O12 and Bi2Ti2O7 was beneficial for the separation of electrons and holes, further improving the photocatalytic ability. A possible photocatalytic mechanism was also explored.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51509220) and the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (LQ14E090003) and Ningbo Science and Technology Plan Projects (2014C50007).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, 315100, People’s Republic of China

    Huihui Gan, Huining Zhang, Yongxing Qian, Huixia Jin & Kefeng Zhang

  2. Henan Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Functional Materials, International Joint Research Laboratory for Biomedical Nanomaterials of Henan, The Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Functional Materials and Applications, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, 466001, People’s Republic of China

    Jin Liu

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  1. Huihui Gan
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  2. Jin Liu
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Correspondence to Huihui Gan.

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Gan, H., Liu, J., Zhang, H. et al. Enhanced photocatalytic removal of hexavalent chromium and organic dye from aqueous solution by hybrid bismuth titanate Bi4Ti3O12/Bi2Ti2O7 . Res Chem Intermed 44, 2123–2138 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11164-017-3218-7

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