Visible-light-driven BNQD/BiVO4 material with enhanced photocatalytic activities for naproxen degradation and kinetic insights

The recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes represents a formidable constraint on the efficacy of semiconductors, which comprises a pivotal determinant of their performance in photocatalysis. For this study, a novel BiVO4 photocatalyst decorated with boron nitride quantum dots (BNQDs) was synthesized via a simple deposition approach, and designated as BQBVO. Following an optimization process, the 0.3BQBVO catalyst exhibited a significant 5.3-fold enhancement in its ability to degrade naproxen (NPX) under visible light irradiation, in contrast to that of its pure BiVO4 counterpart. The augmentation of photocatalytic efficacy might be attributed to the incorporation of BNQDs, owing to their capacity to expedite charge carrier transference by virtue of their ability to attract photoinduced holes. The electron spin resonance (ESR) technique and quenching experiments demonstrated that O-2(-) played a critical role during NPX degradation. Potential NPX degradation pathways were deduced by analyzing the transformation products via high-resolution accurate-mass liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HRAM LC-MS/MS). This research provides theoretical guidance using BiVO4 to design a promising strategy for the degradation of NPX contaminated water.