SYNTHESIS OF Ag3VO4/BiVO4 COMPOSITE WITH HIGH VISIBLE LIGHT PHOTOCATALYTIC ACTIVITY

Abstract

Ag3VO4/BiVO4 composites with different Ag3VO4/BiVO4 mass ratios were prepared. The crystal phase, optical properties, element composition and morphology,of the Ag3VO4/BiVO4 composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Ultraviolet–visible absorption spectroscopy (UV-vis),
Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Scanning electron microscope (SEM). The result indicated that these obtained composites were more active than Ag3VO4 and BiVO4 in photodegradation of aqueous tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) under visible light irradiation.
Ag3VO4/BiVO4 with an Ag3VO4/BiVO4 mass ratio of 20% showed the highest photocatalytic activity. The improved photocatalytic activity of Ag3VO4/BiVO4 can be attributed to the efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. A possible photocatalytic mechanism is proposed.