Abstract
Semiconductor-based photocatalytic technology is regarded as a promising strategy for solve environmental and energy problems. Here, g-C3N4/BiVO4 heterojunction photocatalysts were prepared by a modified sol-gel technique by varying the weight ratio of g-C3N4 under facile conditions. The incorporation of g-C3N4 is found to significantly improve the photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical activity of BiVO4. The optimized g-C3N4/BiVO4 sample exhibits a greatly improved kinetic constant in photocatalytic degradation that is 7.7 times of that in pure BiVO4, and an enhancement of 3 time for the photocurrent density. Systematic experimental studies, combined with first-principles calculations, reveal that the improved photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical activities arise from the efficient separation of charge carriers due to the heterojunctions formed between g-C3N4 and BiVO4. Our work provides a feasible route to develop a high-efficiency photocatalytic technology for environmental contaminants degradation and renewable energy.
Highlights
G-C3N4/BiVO4 heterojunction photocatalysts were prepared by a modified sol-gel technique by varying the weight ratio of g-C3N4 under facile conditions
Systematic experimental studies, combined with first-principles calculations, reveal that the improved photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical activities arise from the efficient separation of charge carriers due to the heterojunctions formed between g-C3N4 and BiVO4
Our work provides a feasible route to develop a high-efficiency photocatalytic technology for environmental contaminants degradation and renewable energy
Summary
Oxide semiconductor-mediated photocatalytic technology offers a promising strategy for environment remediation and solar energy conversion. Among various photocatalyst materials, bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is one of the most attractive candidates due to its intrinsic band gap of about 2.4 eV, appropriate band-edge position, as well as its chemical and physical stability. in pure BiVO4, inefficient carriers separation, severe surface recombination, and sluggish water oxidation kinetic lead to rather low photocatalytic performance. Various approaches have been proposed to solve these problems, including doping, decorating with noble metal, surface modification, and heterojunction structure formation; in particular, constructing heterostructured photocatalysts composed of multi-semiconductors can improve the light absorption range and the charge separation rate, which result in an enhanced photocatalytic performance. In pure BiVO4, inefficient carriers separation, severe surface recombination, and sluggish water oxidation kinetic lead to rather low photocatalytic performance.. Various approaches have been proposed to solve these problems, including doping, decorating with noble metal, surface modification, and heterojunction structure formation; in particular, constructing heterostructured photocatalysts composed of multi-semiconductors can improve the light absorption range and the charge separation rate, which result in an enhanced photocatalytic performance. Coupling BiVO4 with g-C3N4 to nanocomposite is an effective strategy to achieve the enhanced photocatalytic performance. Wang et al reported enhanced photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance in nanostructured g-C3N4/BiVO4 composite films synthesized by the electrospinning technique.. A facile synthesis of g-C3N4/BiVO4 heterojunction nanostructure has been developed using simple chemical route. The corresponding electronic structures and charge-transfer mechanisms between g-C3N4 and BiVO4 were discussed based on first-principles calculations
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