Novel V₂O₅/BiVO₄/TiO₂ Nanocomposites with High Visible-Light-Induced Photocatalytic Activity for the Degradation of Toluene

Abstract

In an effort to develop nanostructured photocatalysts to achieve high performance in heterogeneous photocatalysis, a novel composite V 2 O 5 /BiVO 4 /TiO 2 photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by using a sequentially hydrothermal and adhering method. The structural and optical properties of the as-prepared samples were comparatively characterized. The formed ternary nanojunctions were composed of TiO 2 nanobelts and V 2 O 5 /BiVO 4 nanorods which were self-assembled by smaller V 2 O 5 and BiVO 4 nanoparticles. Compared to pure TiO 2 nanobelts and V 2 O 5 /BiVO 4 nanorods, the V 2 O 5 /BiVO 4 /TiO 2 composite exhibited higher photocatalytic activity in decomposition of gaseous toluene under visible light irradiation (λ > 400 nm). Electron spin resonance examination confirmed that the photoinduced active species ( • OH and O 2 •– ) were involved in the photocatalytic degradation of toluene. A detailed mechanism accounting for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the V 2 O 5 /BiVO 4 /TiO 2 nanocomposite was proposed in terms of the energy band structures of the components. The rationally designed ternary nanojunctions could effectively enhance the photocatalytic performance by increasing photoinduced charge carriers through the charges separation across their multiple interfaces.