Synthesis, characterization and solar photocatalytic performance of In2O3-decorated Bi2O3
Abstract In 2 O 3 /Bi 2 O 3 composite photocatalysts with different In 2 O 3 content were prepared using a pore impregnation method with Bi 2 O 3 as the substrate. The composite photocatalysts exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to Bi 2 O 3 for the degradation of aqueous methyl orange (MO) solution under solar irradiation. The samples were characterized in terms of BET surface area, X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and surface photovoltage (SPV). On the basis of the results, a mechanism is proposed to account for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of these In 2 O 3 /Bi 2 O 3 composites.