Low-temperature designing of BiVO4 nanocubes with coexposed {010}/{110} facets for solar light photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange and diazinon

We present the low-temperature, template-free synthesis and photocatalytic activity of cubic-shaped monoclinic scheelite BiVO4 nanocrystals with coexposed {0 1 0}/{1 1 0} facets in this paper. The first-time diazinon photo-degradation test over the studied samples under solar light irradiation was also carried out. The results showed that, by selecting suitable preparative parameters, the as-prepared 55-nm BiVO4 nanocubes with coexposed {0 1 0}/{1 1 0} facets were obtained at hydrothermal temperature as low as 60 degrees C. The optimized BiVO4 samples exhibited excellent photocatalytic efficiency for photodegradation of both methyl orange and diazinon under solar light irradiation. This photocatalytic activity enhancement of the {0 1 0}/{1 1 0}-facets coexposed monoclinic scheelite BiVO4 with respect to that of the bulk counterpart was supposed to be caused by the formation of surface heterojunctions between two adjunct facets of {0 1 0} and {1 1 0} that boost the charge transfer and separation.

Automated summary

This study presents the synthesis and photocatalytic activity of cubic-shaped monoclinic scheelite BiVO4 nanocrystals with coexposed {0 1 0}/{1 1 0} facets through a template-free method at low temperature. The optimized nanocrystals exhibited excellent photocatalytic efficiency in degrading methyl orange and diazinon under solar light irradiation. This enhancement in photocatalytic activity is attributed to the formation of surface heterojunctions between the coexposed {0 1 0} and {1 1 0} facets, which facilitates charge transfer and separation.