Direct Z-scheme heterojunction of BiVO4 microsphere/g-C3N4 nanosheets for the efficient photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B

Degrading dye waste using inexpensive synthetic photocatalysts is intriguing since it provides the dual advantage of treating water and managing waste simultaneously. There is considerable interest in the construction of heterojunctions for their efficiency in using solar energy for the degradation of wastewater contaminants and enhancing the solar conversion efficiency. Herein, BiVO4 microspheres and 2D g-C3N4 nanosheets were used to synthesize a direct Z-scheme BiVO4/g-C3N4 heterojunction through a hydrothermal calcination approach. The distinct 0D/2D intimate contact heterostructure displayed a high interfacial area and broader visible-light absorption range together with high photoexcited charge pair mobility. Optimizing the content of the BiVO4 microspheres in the heterostructure led to the maximum efficiency for the visible-light photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB), which was about 12.5 and 2.4 times higher than that for pure BiVO4 and g-C3N4, respectively. Moreover, the quenching effects of various scavengers demonstrated that O-center dot(2)- and (OH)-O-center dot radicals were the principal active species responsible for ameliorating the photocatalytic performance for RhB degradation. The demonstrated strategy for boosting the photocatalytic performance with Z-scheme systems may help the advancement of high-performance photocatalysts for sustainable and efficient pollutant degradation and energy applications.

Automated summary

Degrading dye waste using inexpensive synthetic photocatalysts is an intriguing approach for simultaneous water treatment and waste management. The construction of heterojunctions using BiVO4 microspheres and g-C3N4 nanosheets showed enhanced solar conversion efficiency and degradation of wastewater contaminants. The optimization of the heterostructure led to significantly higher photodegradation efficiency compared to pure BiVO4 and g-C3N4, indicating the potential of this strategy for sustainable pollutant degradation and energy applications.