In-situ preparation of N-doped Bi0/OVs-BiVO4 photocatalysts with enhanced photocatalytic properties

Elemental doping, noble metal deposition and defect engineering have proven to be effective strategies to enhance the photogenerated charge pairs separation behavior of semiconductor materials and ameliorate their photocatalytic performance. In this study, N-doped Bi0/OVs-BiVO4 photocatalysts were constructed in-situ by calcining BiVO4 precursors under a hydrogen/nitrogen atmosphere. The experimental results demonstrate the successful reduction and loading of Bi0 onto the BiVO4 surface and the introduction of N doing and oxygen vacancies (OVs). The optical absorption range of BiVO4 is broadened by the synergistic effect of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of Bi0, N-doping and OVs, inducing enhanced separation efficiency of the photoinduced carriers. The photocatalytic degradation rate constant of Rhodamine B (RhB) on samples treated with a hydrogen/nitrogen atmosphere for 10 min under simulated sunlight irradiation is 4.8 times better than that on the blank BiVO4. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of N-doped Bi0/OVs-BiVO4 originates from the synergistic effect of SPR effect of Bi0, N-doping and OVs. This work highlights that the improvement of BiVO4 photocatalytic property can be achieved by calcining BiVO4 under a hydrogen/nitrogen mixed atmosphere.