Effects of Hydrothermal Temperature on the Photocatalytic Degradation Performance of Bismuth Oxide Formate

The effects of hydrothermal temperature on the photocatalytic degradation performance of bismuth oxide formate were investigated using Bi(NO 3 ) 3 ·5H 2 O and N , N -dimethylformamide prepared by a simple hydrothermal process. Its structure and properties were analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray powder diffraction, and ultraviolet and visible absorption spectra. The photocatalytic degradation performance was evaluated in tetracycline solutions. Temperature has a great influence on the morphology of BiOCOOH, and reduces the width of the energy gap. The photocatalytic degradation rate of BiOCOOH prepared at 160°C (BiO-160) with regard to tetracycline was 3.2 times that at 140°C. Within 70 min, BiO-160 can almost completely degrade 10 mg/L of tetracycline in aqueous solution. Photocatalytic mechanisms showed that ·OH plays a major role, while ·O 2 − plays a secondary role in the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline by BiO-160.