High photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B in water

In this work, La-doped bismuth titanate (Bi4-xLaxTi3O12) ceramics were prepared using a solid-state reaction method. The structures, morphologies and vibrational modes of the obtained ceramics were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The prepared Bi4-xLaxTi3O12 showed higher photocatalytic rhodamine B (RhB) degradation in water under UV light irradiation than the pure materials (Bi4Ti3O12). The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the presence of O–Ti–O and the efficient separation of electron–hole pairs and/or to the particle size. The results of this work show that multiple photocatalysts can degrade RhB. Moreover, RhB was eliminated in an aqueous solution via the photocatalytic activity of La-doped bismuth titanate with different dopant loadings, based on the activation of these powders by UV–Vis light irradiation. Photocatalytic tests showed that the degradation of RhB was higher for Bi4Ti3O12 doped with 0.75 of La, demonstrating approximately 96% efficiency after 200 min of UV irradiation.