Oxygen Vacancy-Enhanced Ultrathin Bi2O3–Bi2WO6 Nanosheets’ Photocatalytic Performances under Visible Light Irradiation

The oxygen vacancy caused by ultrathin structures would be introduced into the semiconductor photocatalyst to boost its photocatalytic activity. Herein, ultrathin Bi 2 O 3 –Bi 2 WO 6 nanosheet composites have been successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method. Compared to pure Bi 2 WO 6 nanosheets, the Bi 2 O 3 –Bi 2 WO 6 nanosheet composites possess abundant oxygen vacancies, which was confirmed by the positron annihilation spectra. The ultrathin Bi 2 O 3 –Bi 2 WO 6 nanosheet composites exhibited remarkable photocatalytic degradation performance for oxytetracycline compared with that of pure Bi 2 WO 6 nanosheets. The excellent photocatalytic activities of Bi 2 O 3 –Bi 2 WO 6 composites could be attributed to the heterojunction structure and the oxygen vacancies caused by ultrathin structures.