Design and fabrication of Ni(OH)2/BiVO4 heterostructured nano-photocatalyst for high-efficient removal of organic dyes

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds 2020-08, Vol.831, p.154828, Article 154828
• Main Authors: Abdallah, Nihad Ibrahim Mohammed, Li, Yan, Wang, Xiao-Tian, Li, Xue, Wang, Cheng-Wei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bismuth oxides; BiVO4; Charge transfer; Dyes; Heterojunctions; Heterostructures; Nanostructure; Ni(OH)2; Nickel compounds; P-n heterstructure; P-n junctions; Photocatalysis; Photocatalystic activity; Photocatalysts; Pollution control; Vanadates; Wide bandgap semiconductors
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2020.154828

Configuring new nanostructured photocatalyst with high efficient photocatalystic capabilities is meaningfully for environmental pollution control. Herein, a p-n heterojunction nanostructured photocatalyst of Ni(OH)2/BiVO4 was well designed and successfully fabricated via a facile solvothermal method, in which Ni(OH)2 is a wide band-gap semiconductor. Being applied for photo-degradation of anion organic dye, it is found such Ni(OH)2/BiVO4 heterostructures can not only increase the specific surface area and enhance the light response, but also effectively facilitate the photo-generated charge separation and transfer. As a result, 0.5-Ni(OH)2/BiVO4 can possess a photocatalytic capability of 96% and a reaction rate constant 1.9572 h−1 within 90 min irradiation, being 6 and 18 times higher than that of pure BiVO4 (16%, 0.1098 h−1). This study presents a new means to design a kind of high efficient wide band-gap semiconductor constructed BiVO4-based photocatalysts. •P-type Ni(OH)2 was firstly coupled with n-type BiVO4 to construct heterostructures.•The reaction rate constant of Ni(OH)2/BiVO4 can be 18 times faster than BiVO4.•Optimized p-n heterostructure and synergistic catalysis led to improved performance.