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, Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles were selectively grown on the (110) facet of BiVO 4 , and facet orientation-supported Z-scheme heterojunction of BiVO 4 (110)-Fe 2 O 3 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·L −1 ) under 60 min visible light irradiation were 57.7%, 81.7%, and 91.5% for single-phase catalyst, non-directionally loaded BiVO 4 -Fe 2 O 3 and directionally loaded BiVO 4 (110)-Fe 2 O 3 Z-scheme heterojunction (0.3 g·L −1 ), respectively. Combining photoelectric testing and DFT calculation, it was confirmed that the presence of the built-in electric field from BiVO 4 (110) pointing to Fe 2 O 3 (110) in BiVO 4 (110)-Fe 2 O 3 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.