Bi/BiVO₄ Chainlike Hollow Microstructures: Synthesis, Characterization, and Application as Visible-Light-Active Photocatalysts

Abstract

Bi/BiVO 4 microstructures with novel hollow chainlike morphology were successfully fabricated for the first time, and their application as photocatalyst is explored. Composites composed of metallic Bi and amorphous BiVO 4 (denoted as Bi/a-BiVO 4 ) are first prepared through a simple solvothermal route using ethylene glycol as solvent and then hydrothermally treated in a basic solution to crystallize BiVO 4 . The Bi content in the Bi/BiVO 4 microstructures can be facilely adjusted by changing the molar ratio of Bi 3+ to V 5+ in the reaction system. The photocatalytic activity of the Bi/BiVO 4 microstructures is assessed by photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible-light illumination. The Bi/BiVO 4 microstructures exhibit an obviously improved photocatalytic performance compared to the BiVO 4 and Bi. The synergistic effects of BiVO 4 and Bi may contribute to the improved photocatalytic activity. The present research may provide a new approach to design and fabricate BiVO 4 -based photocatalyst with high photocatalytic activity.

Mechanistic Insights into Photodegradation of Organic Dyes Using Heterostructure Photocatalysts

“…In addition to these operational parameters, the band position and charge-carrier utilization of the photocatalysts also have an impact on the generation of reactive radicals and the subsequent photodegradation performance. To improve the carrier utilization and thereby achieve efficient reactive radical generation, heterostructure photocatalysts with enhanced photocatalytic activity are proposed and employed [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25].…”

Selective Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol by Ag/Pd/m-BiVO4 Microspheres under Visible Light Irradiation

“…BiVO 4 is a light-yellow pigment with a bright color. Due to its advantages, such as a wide source of constituent elements, good chemical and thermal stability, innocuity, environmental friendliness and, in particular, its narrow forbidden band width and suitable valence band position, BiVO 4 has excellent photocatalytic activity [10][11][12]. BiVO 4 has three main crystal forms: monoclinic scheelite (m-s), tetragonal scheelite (t-s) and tetragonal zircon (t-z).…”

“…Figure 4c shows the band gap energy (E g ) spectra of m-BiVO 4 and Ag/Pd/m-BiVO 4 (2 wt%, 2:1). The E g of these samples can be calculated based on the UV-vis absorption spectra data by using the equation αhν = A(hν-E g ) n/2 , where α, h, ν, A and Eg represent the absorption coefficient, Planck's constant, the frequency, a constant and the optical band gap energy, respectively [11]. The value of n depends on the type of optical transition of the semiconductor.…”

Semimetal Bismuth‐Enhanced Light Adsorption and Interface Charge Transfer in Bi@BiVO4

“…However, its high cost and rare resource severely limit the wide application. The cheap and abundant semimetal bismuth could be a good substitution for noble metals, hence bismuth‐based Schottky junctions have been reported . For example, Chen et al .…”

“…For example, Chen et al . prepared Ag‐decorated Bi 2 O 3 nanospheres, which shows a higher visible‐light activity than Bi 2 O 3 .Jing et al . prepared Bi@BiVO 4 hollow particles, however, the particles were 1–3 μm large and severely agglomerated.…”