Preparation and Performance of BiVO4/CMS Composite Photocatalytic Material

To improve the performance of bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) photocatalyst, BiVO4/CMS composite photocatalytic material was prepared by hydrothermal method using CaCO3-based natural photocatalysts (CMS) as the carrier. The crystal structure, elemental composition and surface morphology of the composites were characterized and analyzed by XRD, SEM, IR and DRS. The photocatalytic activity of BiVO4/CMS was tested on the removal efficiency of crystal violet (CV). Compared with pure BiVO4, BiVO4/CMS exhibited the enhanced photocatalytic activity to degrade refractory organic pollutant. The spatial structure of BiVO4 was significantly changed after compositing with CMS, and the main components were BiVO4 and CaCO3. The band gap energy of BiVO4, 1.5-BCMS, 1.75-BCMS and 2-BCMS obtained by the plots between (ahv)2 and energy (hv) were about 2.76 eV, 2.97 eV, 2.37 eV and 2.91 eV, respectively. Among the composites with various BiVO4/CMS loading ratios, the prepared 1.75-BCMS photocatalyst presents the best performance with a CV (10 mg/L) removal efficiency of 97.71% within 120 min, Which was 1.84 times of pure BiVO4 (52.97%).