In-situ metallic Bi deposited Bi12TiO20 with improved photocatalytic activity

Boosting the photocatalytic activity with the help of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect has been demonstrated as an effective approach. In this work, the metallic Bi was deposited on surface of Bi12TiO20 (BTO) via in-situ growth. A series of characteristics was used to analyze the morphology, light properties, crystal structure, chemical position of Bi/BTO composite. The Bi/BTO composite showed increased light absorption and smaller electron transfer resistance. The metallic Bi not only has the SPR effect to generate hot electrons to promote the production of more active species, but also the formed Schottky junction can promote the separation of electrons. Thus, the Bi/BTO composite exhibited higher photocatalytic activity. In addition, the possible photocatalytic mechanism also proposed for deep developing the plasmonic photocatalyst.