Hydrothermal synthesized Bi2WO6 nanoplates: growth mechanism and photocatalytic activities

Bi 2 WO 6 nanoplates were successfully synthesized at 200 °C with bismuth citrate (C 6 H 13 BiN 2 O 7 ·H 2 O) and sodium tungstate dihydrate (Na 2 WO 4 ·2H 2 O) as raw materials in hydrothermal environment. The phase composition and morphology were characterized by x-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM. The average sizes of the Bi 2 WO 6 nanoplates were ca . 300 ∼ 400 nm in lateral size and ca . 30 nm in thickness, respectively, and the nanoplates were parallel to (010) planes. To completely understand the growth mechanism of the Bi 2 WO 6 nanoplates, a series of time-dependent tests were applied, and a possible mechanism was proposed. Additionally, Rhodamine (RhB) degradation testing was carried out to investigate the photocatalytic activity.