Visible-Light Activities of Erbium Doped BiVO4 Photocatalysts

Er-doped BiVO4 composite photocatalyst was hydrothermal synthesized and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra techniques. The activity of the catalyst was determined by oxidative decomposition of methyl orange in aqueous solution under visible-light irradiation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy analysis revealed that the doped Er existed in the form of Er2O3. It also showed that the Er doping can enhance the visible-light absorption abilities of catalysts and their visible-light-driven photocatalytic activities in comparison with those of pure BiVO4.