Solvothermal synthesis of Bi2O3/BiVO4 heterojunction with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performances

Novel, three-dimensional, flower-like Bi2O3/BiVO4 heterojunction photocatalysts have been prepared by the combination of homogeneous precipitation and two-step solvothermal method followed by thermal solution of NaOH etching process. The as-obtained samples were fully characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, and UV-vis diffusereflectance spectroscopy in detail. The crystallinity, microstructure, specific surface area, optical property and photocatalytic activity of samples greatly changed depending on solvothermal reaction time. The photocatalytic activities of samples were evaluated on the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible-light irradiation. The Bi2O3/BiVO4 exhibited much higher photocatalytic activities than pure BiVO4 and conventional TiO2 (P25). The result revealed that the three-dimensional heterojunction played a critical role in the separation of the electron and hole pairs and enhancement of the interfacial charge transfer efficiency, which was responsible for the enhanced photocatalytic activity.     

Evidence and Effect of Photogenerated Charge Transfer for Enhanced Photocatalysis in WO3/TiO2 Heterojunction Films: A Computational and Experimental Study

Semiconductor heterojunctions are used in a wide range of applications including catalysis, sensors, and solar‐to‐chemical energy conversion devices. These materials can spatially separate photogenerated charge across the heterojunction boundary, inhibiting recombination processes and synergistically enhancing their performance beyond the individual components. In this work, the WO₃/TiO₂ heterojunction grown by chemical vapor deposition is investigated. This consists of a highly nanostructured WO₃ layer of vertically aligned nanorods that is then coated with a conformal layer of TiO₂. This heterojunction shows an unusual electron transfer process, where photogenerated electrons move from the WO₃ layer into TiO₂. State‐of‐the‐art hybrid density functional theory and hard X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy are used to elucidate the electronic interaction at the WO₃/TiO₂ interface. Transient absorption spectroscopy shows that recombination is substantially reduced, extending both the lifetime and population of photogenerated charges into timescales relevant to most photocatalytic processes. This increases the photocatalytic efficiency of the material, which is among the highest ever reported for a thin film. In allying computational and experimental methods, this is believed to be an ideal strategy for determining the band alignment in metal oxide heterojunction systems.