Thermal decomposition of some bismuth oxocarboxylates with formation of β-Bi2O3

Herein, β-Bi2O3 has been synthesized by a thermal decomposition of bismuth oxoformate (BiO)HCOO, oxoacetate (BiO)CH3HCOO and oxofumarate (BiO)2H2C4O4. It was shown that pseudomorphs of β-Bi2O3 with sheet-like, plate-like and spherical morphology were formed. The thermal stability, structure and morphology of the precursors and their products were characterized by differential thermal analysis (DTA), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), in situ high temperature X-ray diffraction (HTXRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the Bi/β-Bi2O3 composite was obtained from (BiO)HCOO and (BiO)2H2C4O4 and transferred to β-Bi2O3.