Bismuth chromate (Bi2CrO6): A promising semiconductor in photocatalysis

Bismuth chromate, a semiconductor in the bismuth-based materials family, was successfully prepared in this work. This semiconductor exhibited high solar and visible-light responsivity, making it a promising candidate for photocatalysis under solar light. Compared to other two widely reported photocatalysts (i.e. Bi2WO6 and Bi2MoO6), Bi2CrO6 exhibited superiorities, including narrower band gap (2.00 eV), wider responsive wavelength range of the solar spectrum (up to 622 nm) and one-dimensional morphology. However, one of the most challenging problems for Bi2CrO6 applied in photocatalysis may be due to its high recombination of photogenerated charge carriers (lifetime of photoactivated charges: 0.660 ns). This should be further addressed in future work with advanced strategies. This work provides a method to experimentally prepare Bi2CrO6 and sheds a light on the significance of this ‘new’ bismuth-based semiconductor in photocatalysis.