CTAB-Assisted Fabrication of Bi₂WO₆ Thin Nanoplates with High Adsorption and Enhanced Visible Light-Driven Photocatalytic Performance.

Two-dimensional thin Bi₂WO₆ nanoplates have been fabricated using a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-assisted hydrothermal method. We investigated the proposed formation mechanism based on the crystalline structures of the thin Bi₂WO₆ nanoplates. The high adsorption ability and excellent visible-light driven photocatalytic activities of the Bi₂WO₆ nanoplates were illustrated, in view of exposed (001) facets of nanoplates possessing faster separation of photo-generated charge carriers and increased catalytically active sites. Such a cost-effective way to obtain Bi₂WO₆ nanoplates offers new possibilities for the design of adsorptive semiconductor photocatalysts with strengthened photocatalytic activities.