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Improved visible light photocatalytic performance through an in situ composition-transforming synthesis of BiVO4/BiOBr photocatalyst

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Abstract

The monoclinic scheelite (ms) BiVO4 shows great potential applications in the photocatalyst due to its strong light absorption in the visible light region. To improve the separation of photoinduced charge carriers in BiVO4, such as election and hole, BiVO4/BiOBr photocatalyst with a high visible light activity was synthesized using an in situ chemical transformation method with BiVO4 as a matrix and hydrobromic acid (HBr) as a construction agent. The effect of the concentration of BiOBr on the formation of BiVO4/BiOBr nanocomposite was studied. BiVO4/BiOBr nanocomposite was characterized in detail and the results show that the BiVO4 and BiOBr co-present in the system and BiVO4/BiOBr nanocomposite has a well hydrophilic surface. The photocatalytic properties of such nanocomposite were investigated through studying the degradation of a pollutant model (RhB), and meanwhile, the recombination of electron and hole was evaluated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The results reveal that incorporation of BiOBr on BiVO4 could contribute to the enhanced separation and transport of photoinduced electrons and hole, leading to improved photocatalysis performance. The BiVO4/BiOBr photocatalyst could be applied as an outstanding photocatalytic material for organic pollutants degradation.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Science Foundation of China (51872014), Recruitment Program of Global Experts, and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China

    Shibo Liu, Jingxuan Chen & Xiaoliang Zhang

  2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin, 150040, China

    Dongyue Liu & Lianwei Shan

Authors
  1. Shibo Liu
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  2. Jingxuan Chen
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  3. Dongyue Liu
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  4. Lianwei Shan
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  5. Xiaoliang Zhang
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Correspondence to Xiaoliang Zhang.

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Highlights

• BiVO4/BiOBr photocatalyst with a high visible light activity was synthesized using an in situ chemical transformation method.

• Enhanced photogenerated charge separation is achieved in the BiVO4/BiOBr(001) nanocomposite.

• BiVO4/BiOBr(001) nanocomposite shows highly potential for organic pollutants degradation.

• BiVO4/BiOBr(001) nanocomposite exhibits high photocatalytic activity.

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Liu, S., Chen, J., Liu, D. et al. Improved visible light photocatalytic performance through an in situ composition-transforming synthesis of BiVO4/BiOBr photocatalyst. J Nanopart Res 21, 191 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-019-4625-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-019-4625-z

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