Controllable synthesis of hollow and porous Ag/BiVO4 composites with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance

Lang Chen, Rui Huang, Ying Jie Ma, Sheng Lian Luo, Chak Tong Au, Shuang Feng Yin*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

57 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

By adjusting the amount of AgNO3, hollow and porous silver bismuth vanadate (Ag/BiVO4) composites were synthesized by a one-step method using ethylene glycol and water as solvents, and l-lysine as a surfactant. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM (HRTEM), UV-vis DRS, PL and nitrogen adsorption-desorption techniques. The effect of the amount of AgNO3 on the morphology of the products was investigated and using the right amount of AgNO3 was essential to obtain the hollow and porous structure. A possible mechanism for the growth of the composites was proposed. The photocatalytic performance of the composites was evaluated for the degradation of methylene blue and rhodamine-B in an aqueous solution under visible-light irradiation. The Ag/BiVO4 composites showed excellent photocatalytic activity at a silver content of 6.5 wt%. The 6.5 wt% Ag/BiVO4 catalyst performed better than BiVO 4 as well as better than the Ag-doped BiVO4 prepared by a photoreduction method. There is a strong relationship between photocatalytic performance and the structure of catalysts. It was deduced that the excellent photocatalytic activity of 6.5 wt% Ag/BiVO4 is due to its hollow and porous structure, large specific surface area, and Ag/BiVO4 interfaces.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)24354-24361
Number of pages8
JournalRSC Advances
Volume3
Issue number46
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 Dec 2013

Scopus Subject Areas

  • General Chemistry
  • General Chemical Engineering

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