A novel visible-light-driven Z-scheme C₃N₅/BiVO₄ heterostructure with enhanced photocatalytic degradation performance

As a visible-light response semiconductor materials, bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄) is extensively applied in photodegradation organic dye field. In this study, we synthesized C₃N₅ nanosheets and coupled with decahedral BiVO₄ to construct a Z-scheme C₃N₅/BiVO₄ heterostructure with close interface contact. By introducing C₃N₅ into BiVO₄, the built Z-scheme transfer pathway provides silky channel for charge carrier migration between different moieties and enables photoexcited electrons and holes accumulated on the surface of BiVO₄ and C₃N₅. The accelerated separation of charge carriers ensures C₃N₅/BiVO₄ heterostructures with a powerful oxidation capacity compared with pure BiVO₄. Due to the synergistic effect in Z-scheme heterostructure, the C₃N₅/BiVO₄ demonstrated an improved photodegradation ability of rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) that of bare BiVO₄.