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By using [BMIM][PO4] as a coupling agent, a novel hydrothermal method is developed to prepare microspherical SbPO4 with different morphologies and photocatalytic abilities. An evolution from flower- to sphere-shaped products was observed. Regular SbPO4 microspheres with diameters of 10–35 μm were found to exhibit excellent photocatalytic properties to degrade rhodamine B (45 min, 99%) and methylene blue (60 min, 99%) under UV light irradiation. The impacts of the ionic liquid type, capping abilities and reaction conditions on final products were revealed. It is found that by tuning the reaction time and temperature, [BMIM][PO4] can gradually react with SbCl3, forming SbPO4 products with a controllable morphology and a tailored bandgap. The distinguished photocatalytic abilities are attributed to the large surface area and low bandgap energy of the semiconductor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we report a facile solution route to prepare superhydrophobic and superoleophilic ZnC4O4 concave microspheres. The surface morphologies and chemical compositions were determined through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The wettability of the as-synthesized ZnC4O4 coordination compound surface was studied by measuring the contact angle (CA). A static CA for water over 160° was observed, which was closely related to both the structure and chemical modification of ZnC4O4, and a 0° static CA for octane was observed, which showed that the as-prepared ZnC4O4 surface had superoleophilic properties. Furthermore, the as-prepared ZnC4O4 surface showed superhydrophobicity for some corrosive liquids, such as acidic and basic aqueous solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we focus on the controllable synthesis of BaMnF4 micro/nanostructures via a facile one-step hydrothermal method assisted by different surfactants. The chemical structure, morphology and superhydrophobic properties have been studied by XRD, SEM, TEM, EDS and CA. The results show that the pH of the starting solution, temperature, reaction time, and surfactant affect the crystallinity, morphology and superhydrophobic properties of the products. The preliminary reaction path and formation mechanisms of the BaMnF4 with different shapes are also investigated. To the best of our knowledge, the present synthesis route is novel. Furthermore, the as-prepared BaMnF4 surface shows superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By combining the advantages of both ionic liquids and ultrasound, a novel method, namely the ionic liquid-assisted ultrasonic method, was developed to prepare BiOCl/m-BiVO4 heterojunctions in several hours at room temperature. Through this method, BiOCl/BiVO4 heterojunctions with different BiOCl contents can be conveniently synthesized via simply changing the amount of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl) used during the preparation process. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to examine the structures of the as-prepared BiOCl/m-BiVO4 heterojunctions. The morphologies were characterized via scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results suggest that the as-prepared BiOCl/m-BiVO4 heterojunctions have high photocatalytic activity and stability for the degradation of Rhodamine B under both visible light and sunlight irradiation at room temperature. Moreover, a possible mechanism was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]