Template-Free Hydrothermal Synthesis and Photocatalytic Performances of Novel Bi2SiO5 Nanosheets

Orthorhombic Bi(2)SiO(5) nanosheets with thicknesses of 10-20 nm were first synthesized by a template-free hydrothermal synthesis process using Bi(NO(3))(3) and different Si sources as raw materials. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and a photoluminescence technique with terephthalic acid. The results showed that different precursors led to samples with different morphologies, particle sizes, and BET surface areas. As a novel photocatalyst, the photocatalytic performances of Bi(2)SiO(5) samples were evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of salicylic acid and gaseous benzene. The results revealed that the sample obtained from Na(2)SiO(3) as a precursor exhibited higher activity than that from (C(2)H(5)O)(4)Si due to its biscuit-like morphology, a smaller particle size, and a higher BET surface areas.