Construction of facet orientation-supported Z-scheme heterojunction of BiVO4 (110)-Fe2O3 and its photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline

A synergistic strategy of Facet engineering and the construction of Z-scheme heterojunctions is expected to improve internal consumption and insufficient carriers in photocatalysis significantly. In this paper, Fe2O3 nanoparticles were selectively grown on the (110) facet of BiVO4, and facet orientation-supported Z-scheme heterojunction of BiVO4 (110)-Fe2O3 was constructed for the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline. The effects of catalyst dosage, pH, temperature, and other conditions on the degradation performance were systematically investigated and found to have excellent catalytic activity, structural stability, and reusability. The removal of TC (15 mg center dot L-1) under 60 min visible light irradiation were 57.7%, 81.7%, and 91.5% for single-phase catalyst, non-directionally loaded BiVO4-Fe2O3 and directionally loaded BiVO4 (110)-Fe2O3 Z-scheme heterojunction (0.3 g center dot L-1), respectively. Combining photoelectric testing and DFT calculation, it was confirmed that the presence of the built-in electric field from BiVO4 (110) pointing to Fe2O3 (110) in BiVO4 (110)-Fe2O3 Z-scheme heterojunction facilitates the separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers and significantly improves the photodegradation performance of the material. In addition, the intermediates and degradation pathways were investigated in detail.