Preparation and performance of attapulgite/Bi₂WO₆ photocatalytic composite

The Bi₂WO₆ semiconductor possesses excellent photocatalytic performance due to its nontoxicity, strong oxidizing power and visible-light responsiveness. However, the small specific surface area and poor adsorption capacity limit its practical applications. The taking advantage of strong adsorption abilities of attapulgite clay to prepare attapulgite/Bi₂WO₆ photocatalytic composite by adjusting the temperature and time of hydrothermal reaction, the mass ratio, and the pH value of the precursor solution. The as-prepared photocatalyst was characterized by XRD, SEM, N₂ adsorption-desorption measurements and UV-visible diffused reflectance spectra (UV-vis DRS). The results show that the attapulgite/Bi₂WO₆ photocatalytic composite has 3D nanospheres hierarchical structure and exhibit a better photocatalytic activity for Rhodamine B under visible light while it is prepared under hydrothermal reaction at 180℃ for 18 h, the mass ratio of attapulgite clay to Bi₂WO₆ is 6%, and the initial pH=1 for the precursor solution of attapulgite/Bi₂WO₆ photocatalytic composite.