Efficient Visible Light-Induced Photocatalytic Degradation of Contaminant by Spindle-like PANI/BiVO4

Photocatalytic active spindle-like BiVO4 modified by polyaniline (PANI) was synthesized via a sonochemical approach for the first time. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed that the photocatalysts are composed of well-crystallized small nanoparticles. The efficient photocatalytic activity in the degradation of a widely used dye, tetraethylated rhodamine (RhB), and phenol under visible-light irradiation (lambda > 420 nm) was realized by the spindle-like PANI/BiVO4. Besides decoloring, reduction of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration was also observed in the degradation of RhB, further demonstrating the photocatalytic performance of PANI/BiVO4. Additionally, the notable enhanced photocatalytic performance for phenol oxidation was also realized with the assistance of a little amount of H2O2. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the synergic effect between PANI and BiVO4, which promoted the migration efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole. According to experimental results, the possible photocatalytic mechanisms of the PANI/BiVO4 photocatalyst were proposed in order to guide the further improvement of its photocatalytic performance.