Synthesis of efficient Y-BiWO/G visible light photocatalysts with high stability for pollutant degradation.

For effective photocatalytic pollutant degradation on bismuth tungstate (BiWO), it is vital to enhance the photogenerated charge separation and the photochemical stability. Herein, we successfully fabricated yttrium (Y)-BiWO/graphene (G) nanocomposites with a significantly enhanced visible light-driven photocatalytic ability to degrade Rhodamine B compared with the bare BiWO. This is attributed to the remarkably improved visible light absorption capability and photogenerated charge separation after doping yttrium and subsequent coupling with graphene, as revealed by photoluminescence and electrochemical impedance spectroscopies. Moreover, trapping experiments were carried out to clarify that photogenerated ·O and holes were the dominant oxidative species in the photocatalytic reaction. In addition, it was confirmed that the resulting composites maintained good photostability and chemical stability during recycling tests. Graphical abstract.