J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2021, Vol. 83: 102-112.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2020.11.079

• Research Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Full-spectrum responsive photocatalytic activity via non-noble metal Bi decorated mulberry-like BiVO4

Yaxin Bia,1, Yanling Yanga,**,1(), Xiao-Lei Shib,c, Lei Fenga, Xiaojiang Houa, Xiaohui Yea, Li Zhanga, Guoquan Suoa, Siyu Lud, Zhi-Gang Chenb,c,*()   

  1. aSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Green Preparation and Functionalization for Inorganic Materials, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi’an, 710021, China
    bCentre for Future Materials, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield, QLD, 4300, Australia
    cSchool of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
    dCollege of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
  • Received:2020-09-15 Revised:2020-11-28 Accepted:2020-11-30 Published:2021-08-30 Online:2021-01-30
  • Contact: Yanling Yang,Zhi-Gang Chen
  • About author:* Centre for Future Materials, University of SouthernQueensland, Springfield, QLD, 4300, Australia. E-mail addresses: zhigang.chen@usq.edu.au(Z.-G. Chen).
    First author contact:

    1 These authors contribute equally to this work.

Abstract:

Due to its appropriate bandgap (~2.4 eV) and efficient light absorption, bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) shows promising photocatalysis activity. However, the charge carrier recombination and poor electron transmission often induce poor photocatalytic performance. Herein, we report a new method to in-situ synthesize non-noble metal Bi decorated mulberry-like BiVO4 by a two-step calcination process. Comprehensive characterizations reveal that non-noble metal Bi nanoparticles grown in-situ on BiVO4 result in the red-shift of the absorbance edge, greatly extending the light absorption from the ultraviolet into the near-infrared region. The surface plasmon resonance excitation of Bi nanoparticles and synergetic effects between Bi and BiVO4 effectively improve the photocatalytic efficiency and promote the separation of photoinduced electron-hole pairs in mulberry-like BiVO4. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation results further verify that the electrons are transferred from Bi to BiVO4 and the formation of ·OH radical in Bi/BiVO4 is attributed to the lower simulated free energy, which supports our experimental outcomes. This work provides a novel strategy to enhance light absorption and promote efficient solar utilization of photocatalysts for practical applications.

Key words: Bi, BiVO4, Photocatalysis, Full-spectrum, Density functional theory