Facile Br− assisted hydrothermal synthesis of Bi2MoO6 nanoplates with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

Bi2MoO6 nanoplates have been controllably synthesized via a facile hydrothermal process with the assistance of Br− containing surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) or KBr. A remarkable enhancement in the visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B was observed. It was found that reaction temperature and surfactant play crucial roles in the formation and properties of the Bi2MoO6 nanoplates. The best results as photocatalyst were obtained with the sample hydrothermally synthesized at 150 °C with the assistance of CTAB. The improved photocatalytic performance could be ascribed to the {001}-oriented nanostructure of the Bi2MoO6 nanoplates. KBr-templated Bi2MoO6 nanoplates also showed better photocatalytic efficiency compared with that of flower-like Bi2MoO6 but inferior to that of CTAB-templated Bi2MoO6 nanoplates.