Flexible Porous SiO2–Bi2WO6 Nanofibers Film for Visible‐Light Photocatalytic Water Purification

Advancement of the synthetic performance of photocatalysts in environmental applications has been the most clinging pursue in relevant research fields. In this article, we propose a novel design strategy of an efficient visible‐light photocatalyst with versatile advantages for environmental remediation. Flexible SiO₂ nanofibers were prepared with sol–gel and electrospinning techniques, followed by uniform anchoring of Bi₂WO₆ nanoplatelets on the fibers’ surface, forming unique hierarchical SiO₂–BiWO₆ composite fibers. Benefitting from the combination of the advantages from both the SiO₂ nanofibers and the Bi₂WO₆ nanoplatelets, the film composed of SiO₂–Bi₂WO₆ fibers simultaneously possess high visible‐light photocatalytic reactivity, good flexibility, and excellent thermal stability, affording many potential applications especially in environmental remediation. Water purification performance of the SiO₂–Bi₂WO₆ fibers film was evaluated here as an application example, and the results demonstrated are intriguing.