Hierarchical self-assembly of graphene-bridged on AgIO3/BiVO4: An efficient heterogeneous photocatalyst with enhanced photodegradation of organic pollutant under visible light

Abstract

A series of hierarchical AgIO3/BiVO4-GO photocatalysts was synthesized using a solvothermal-precipitation method. The composition, structure, morphology, optical and photoelectrochemical performance of as-obtained photocatalysts were systematically characterized by XPS, XRD, TEM, SEM, EDS, PL, UV–Vis DRS, PT, and EIS, respectively. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) and Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. Experimental results exhibited the photocatalytic degradation activity of AgIO3/BiVO4 was significantly improved compared with pure AgIO3 and BiVO4. This may be due to the heterojunction formation of AgIO3 and BiVO4 and the introduction of GO, which accelerates the separation and migration of electron-hole pairs and reduce recombination. The h+ and •O2− was the key active species in the photocatalytic degradation process according to the trapping experiment. Furthermore, a potential photocatalytic mechanism was predicted based on experimental results.