Surface treatment for efficient photocarriers transfer and separation: A general case of nitric acid activated Bi4Ti3O12

The first case of nitric acid-activated Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 (BTO) has been investigated. The activity of 1% molar ratio nitric acid-activated Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 (BTO-1) is 22.8 times, 2 times, and 2 times higher than BTO on photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB), tetracycline hydrochloride (TC), and Cr (VI) solution, respectively. The excellent improvement of the photo-redox reaction is due to the simultaneous removal of Na + and the creation of oxygen vacancies on the photocatalyst surface, which can improve the transport and separation efficiency of the photocarrier. In addition, BTO-1 has excellent photostability. This study may provide a general approach to improve the photocatalytic properties of titanates synthesized by the hydrothermal method with NaOH.