Novel BiVO4/TiO2 composites with Z-scheme heterojunction for photocatalytic degradation

• Published in: Materials letters 2023-01, Vol.330, p.133229, Article 133229
• Main Authors: Wang, Dongying, Ren, Binghua, Chen, Shuangyang, Liu, Sinan, Feng, Wei, Sun, Yan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: BiVO4/TiO2; Composite materials; RhB degradation; Solar energy materials; Z-scheme heterojunction
• ISSN: 0167-577X; 1873-4979
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2022.133229

•Snowflake-like BiVO4 and TiO2 microspheres were fabricated via a hydrothermal method.•BiVO4/TiO2 Z-scheme heterojunction was prepared by physical mixing technology.•30 wt% BiVO4/TiO2 composites exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity. Snowflake-like BiVO4 and TiO2 microspheres were fabricated using a hydrothermal method, and BiVO4/TiO2 composites with Z-scheme heterojunction were synthesized via physical mixing. The photocatalytic activity of as-prepared photocatalysts was evaluated by degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under simulated solar illumination. The highest photodegradation efficiency of 96.7 % was achieved for the BiVO4/TiO2 composites with a BiVO4 loading of 30 wt%. The remarkable photocatalytic performance of the BiVO4/TiO2 composite photocatalysts was primarily attributed to the formation of Z-scheme heterojunction between BiVO4 and TiO2, which expanded light response range and accelerated separation of photogenerated carriers. This work provides an effective approach for fabricating Z-scheme photocatalysts and demonstrates the potential of BiVO4/TiO2 composites for the degradation of pollutants in wastewater.