Preparation of noble metal Ag-modified BiVO4 nanosheets and a study on the degradation performance of tetracyclines

Abstract

A noble metal Ag-modified BiVO₄ (Ag-BVO) composite photocatalyst was synthesized by photodeposition technology. The as-prepared photocatalyst was characterized via XRD, SEM, XPS, UV-vis DRS and electrochemistry measurement. The results indicated that small-sized noble metal Ag particles are uniformly distributed on the BiVO₄ nanosheet surface, and they exhibit superior photocatalytic performance to BiVO₄ for tetracycline (TC) degradation. As a result, the improved degradation efficiency of Ag-BVO attributed to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of precious metal Ag effectively broadens the visible light response range of the catalyst and forms a Schottky barrier at the interface between Ag and BiVO₄ as the electron capture center to enhance the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers. In addition, radical trapping experiment and ESR spectroscopy show that ˙O₂⁻ is the main active species in the degradation process. This work may provide a promising approach for synthesizing BiVO₄-based photocatalysts and application in wastewater treatment.