Synthesis of Molecular Imprinted BiVO4 with Enhanced Adsorption and Photocatalytic Properties Towards Target Contaminants

Abstract

Selective photocatalysis is a very promising direction to improve the activities of photocatalysts. Combining the technique of molecular imprinting (MIP) with heterogeneous photocatalysis can be an appealing approach to achieve our aim. Herein, using the MIP technique, the monoclinic MIP-BiVO4 was successfully synthesized by the presence of rhodamine B (RhB) during the hydrothermal synthesis. The synthesized MIP-BiVO4 possessed better adsorptive and photocatalytic activities than pristine BiVO4. RhB added in the synthesis process worked as a template and served a crucial role in the formation of the MIP-BiVO4 morphology. The photoelectrochemical analysis verified the superiority of MIP-BiVO4 sample in the transfer and separation of the electron–hole pairs. Holes played the most crucial role in the degradation of the pollutants. The effective approach combining MIP technique in the synthesis of photocatalysts would provide some guidance to selective photocatalysis field for designing and synthesizing highly efficient photocatalysts.