Controllable Crystal Growth and Improved Photocatalytic Activity of Porous Bi(2)O(3)–Bi(2)S(3) Composite Sheets

[Image: see text] Porous Bi(2)O(3)–Bi(2)S(3) composite sheets were constructed through a combinational methodology of chemical bath deposition and hydrothermal reaction. The Na(2)S precursor concentration in the hydrothermal solution was varied to understand the correlation between the vulcanization degree and structure evolution of the porous Bi(2)O(3)–Bi(2)S(3) composite sheets. The control of the etching rate of the Bi(2)O(3) sheet template and the regrowth rate of Bi(2)S(3) crystallites via suitable sulfide precursor concentration during the hydrothermal reaction utilizes the formation of porous Bi(2)O(3)–Bi(2)S(3) sheets. Due to the presence of Bi(2)S(3) crystallites and porous structure in the Bi(2)O(3)–Bi(2)S(3) composites, the improved visible-light absorption ability and separation efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers are achieved. Furthermore, the as-synthesized Bi(2)O(3)–Bi(2)S(3) composite sheets obtained from vulcanization with a 0.01M Na(2)S precursor display highly enhanced photocatalytic degradation toward methyl orange (MO) dyes compared with the pristine Bi(2)O(3) and Bi(2)S(3). The porous Bi(2)O(3)–Bi(2)S(3) sheet system shows high surface active sites, fast transfer, high-efficiency separation of photoinduced charge carriers, and enhanced redox capacity concerning their constituent counterparts. This study affords a promising approach to constructing Bi(2)O(3)-based Z-scheme composites with a suitable microstructure and Bi(2)O(3)/Bi(2)S(3) phase ratio for photoactive device applications.