The Role of H2C2O4 and Na2CO3 as Precipitating Agents on The Physichochemical Properties and Photocatalytic Activity of Bismuth Oxide

Abstract

Abstract Synthesis of bismuth oxide synthesis through the precipitation method using H 2 C 2 O 4 and Na 2 CO 3 precipitating agents, identification of physicochemical properties and its photocatalysis activity for methyl orange degradation were conducted. The bismuth oxide synthesis was undertaken by dissolving Bi(NO 3 ) 3 .5H 2 O in HNO 3 , then added precipitating agents to form precipitate. The results showed that bismuth oxide produced by H 2 C 2 O 4 precipitating agent was a yellow powder containing a mixture of α-Bi 2 O 3 (monoclinic) and β-Bi 2 O 3 (tetragonal), porous with size of 28-85 μm. Meanwhile, the use of Na 2 CO 3 as precipitating agent resulted in bismuth oxide consisting of α-Bi 2 O 3 and β-Bi 2 O 3 and Bi 2 O 4 , irregular shape without pore being 40-115 μm in size. Bismuth oxide synthesized with H 2 C 2 O 4 precipitating agent showed higher photocatalytic activity compared to bismuth oxide synthesized using Na 2 CO 3 on degrading methyl orange dye with degradation rate constants of 2.35x10 -5 s -1 for H 2 C 2 O 4 and 1.81x10 -5 s -1 for Na 2 CO 3 .