A new generation of visible-light-active photocatalysts—The alkaline earth metal bismuthates: Syntheses, compositions, structures, and properties

Semiconductor materials containing bismuth have attracted the attention of researchers over the past several decades, as a result of their high photocatalytic activity in various reactions and/or high efficiency in their photoelectric conversion of solar energy. This interest originated from the observations that bismuth-containing semiconductors have a sufficiently small bandgap, which makes them sensitive to radiation in the visible spectral range; thus, visible-light-active materials. Among the various bismuth-containing semiconductor materials, the bismuthates of alkaline earth metals are distinguished and describe into separate groups. This article reviews research on the known methods of obtaining bismuthates of various alkaline earth metals (magnesium, calcium, strontium, and barium), and further analyzes their composition, structure, and visible-light-active photocatalytic activity.