From Bulk Metal Bi to Two-Dimensional Well-Crystallized BiOX (X = Cl, Br) Micro- and Nanostructures: Synthesis and Characterization

TLDR: In this paper, two-dimensional (2D) single-crystalline bismuth oxyhalides (BiOX, X = Cl, Br) micro-and nanostructures, such as nanoplates, nanosheets, and microsheets, were synthesized in a large scale by a simple wet chemistry approach of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) direct oxidation of bulk metal Bismuth (Bi) particles in a mixed solution followed by a hydrothermal treatment.

Abstract: In this article, for the first time, two-dimensional (2D) single-crystalline bismuth oxyhalides (BiOX, X = Cl, Br) micro- and nanostructures, such as nanoplates, nanosheets, and microsheets, were synthesized in a large scale by a simple wet chemistry approach of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) direct oxidation of bulk metal bismuth (Bi) particles in a mixed solution followed by a hydrothermal treatment, instead of previous coprecipitation of Bi salts route. The in-plane size and thickness of the 2D products can be conveniently tailored by varying the temperature and the concentrations of the Bi precursor. The products were characterized by a range of methods, such as X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, selected area electron diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectra, and UV−vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The BiOBr nanoplates, nanosheets, and micr...