Size-controlled synthesis of hierarchical bismuth selenide nanoflowers and their photocatalytic performance in the presence of H₂O₂

Bismuth selenide (Bi₂Se₃) has attracted great attention as one of typical topological insulator materials. In this work, size-controllable Bi₂Se₃ nanoflowers (NFs) composed of numerous thin nanosheets are successfully synthesized by a hot-solution injection method under mild conditions. The structure and morphology of the obtained Bi₂Se₃ NFs are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic (EDS), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) techniques. The reaction temperature, time, and surfactant ratio (oleylamine/oleic acid) affect the phase purity and morphology of Bi₂Se₃ samples. Based on the experimental results, the formation mechanism of Bi₂Se₃ nanoflowers is proposed. Meanwhile, the photocatalytic behavior of the as-prepared Bi₂Se₃ nanoflowers in the presence of H₂O₂ is explored and it is found that the degrading rate of RhB can reach 93% after 2 h visible light irradiation.