BiVO₄ As a Sustainable and Emerging Photocatalyst: Synthesis Methodologies, Engineering Properties, and Its Volatile...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Chemistry
• Photocatalysis

Background:

• Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is a promising semiconductor with a narrow band gap and good visible light absorption.
• It exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity for degrading volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
• Commercial use is hindered by poor photogenerated electron-hole pair separation and transport.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a critical overview of BiVO4-based materials for visible light photocatalysis.
• To discuss engineering strategies for enhancing BiVO4 properties.
• To explore applications in VOC degradation.

Main Methods:

• Review of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) and semiconducting nanomaterials.
• Analysis of BiVO4 synthesis and property engineering (nanocomposites, metal/non-metal coupling, Z-scheme systems).
• Evaluation of visible light photocatalytic efficiency in VOC degradation.

Main Results:

• Engineered BiVO4, particularly as nanocomposites, demonstrates improved photocatalytic efficiency.
• Strategies like forming binary/ternary nanocomposites and Z-scheme structures enhance electron-hole separation.
• Various modifications significantly boost visible light photocatalytic performance in VOC degradation.

Conclusions:

• BiVO4-based nanocomposites offer superior visible-light-driven photocatalytic efficiency for VOC degradation.
• Further research and development are needed to overcome challenges for commercial-scale application.
• This review serves as a resource for designing advanced BiVO4 photocatalysts.