Preparation of tungsten-doped BiVO4 and enhanced photocatalytic activity

W-doped BiVO4 samples have been successfully synthesized by a simple sol-gel technique, which involved the formation process of precursor and the subsequent calcination treatment. The incorporation ofWions intoBiVO(4) was detected by X-ray diffraction. Through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and defect reactions, the tungstic ions should be responsible for the enhancement of decolorization due to reducing the consumption of photogenerated electrons. Also, the XPS signal of O 1s was investigated, indicating that dopedWspecies greatly improve the hydroxyl and H2O adsorption on the surface of W-doped BiVO4. In addition, the photoluminescence experiments indicate the enhanced separation of electron-hole pairs in comparison with pure BiVO4.