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

Abstract

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.