title: Plasmonic Bi metal as cocatalyst and photocatalyst: The case of Bi/(BiO)2CO3and Bi particles.
abstract: Semimetal bismuth with plasmonic properties has triggered increased interests. In this work, a facile strategy was developed to synthesize the Bi/(BiO)2CO3(Bi-BOC) nanocomposites and Bi elemental photocatalysts. The Bi nanoparticles were produced via the insitu reduction of (BiO)2CO3by NaBH4. The catalysts were utilized for the photocatalytic NO removal under visible light and UV illumination. Significantly, the photocatalytic capability of the Bi-BOC was highly enhanced with an unprecedented NO removal of 63.6%. The Bi metal demonstrated a direct plasmonic photocatalytic NO removal ratio of 53.6% under UV irradiation. The significantly enhanced photocatalytic capability of Bi-BOC can be ascribed to the synergistic effects of the SPR effect, enhanced visible-light-harvesting and the efficient electron-hole separation induced by Bi nanoparticles. The Bi nanoparticles can perform as a non-noble metal-based plasmonic cocatalyst for advancing photocatalytic ability. The mechanism of photocatalytic NO oxidation was proposed and compared under both visible light and UV illumination. Furthermore, the Bi-BOC photocatalysts showed good photochemical stability under repeated tests. This work could not only offer new insights into in-situ fine-tune reduction strategy for Bi-based photocatalysts, but also proves the potentials of utilizing low cost Bi cocatalysts as a substitute for noble metals to improve other photocatalysts.
authors.affiliation: Chongqing Key Laboratory of Catalysis and Functional Organic Molecules, Engineering Research Center for Waste Oil Recovery Technology and Equipment of Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Resources, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing 400067, China.
authors.forename: Yanjuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Chongqing Key Laboratory of Catalysis and Functional Organic Molecules, Engineering Research Center for Waste Oil Recovery Technology and Equipment of Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Resources, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing 400067, China.
authors.forename: Zaiwang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Scientific Research Management, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China.
authors.forename: Wendong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Chongqing Key Laboratory of Catalysis and Functional Organic Molecules, Engineering Research Center for Waste Oil Recovery Technology and Equipment of Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Resources, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing 400067, China.
authors.forename: Chunfeng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: College of Materials Science and Engineering, National Key Laboratory of Fundamental Science of Micro/Nano-Devices and System Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China.
authors.forename: Yuxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Chongqing Key Laboratory of Catalysis and Functional Organic Molecules, Engineering Research Center for Waste Oil Recovery Technology and Equipment of Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Resources, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing 400067, China. Electronic address: dfctbu@126.com.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dong
keywords: (BiO)(2)CO(3) microspheres; NO purification; Photocatalysis; Plasmonic Bi metal; SPR effect