The synthesis of a BiMoO/BiVO heterojunction photocatalyst with enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity.

A novel BiMoO/BiVO heterostructured photocatalyst was successfully fabricated using a facile one-pot solvothermal method. This heterojunction consists of homogeneous dispersed BiVO nanocrystals anchored on the surface of BiMoO nanoflakes, endowing the heterojunction with nanosized interfacial contact. Based on the favorable interfacial contact, the band alignment at the heterojunction effectively facilitated photo-generated carrier transfer, which was verified by photoelectrochemical and photoluminescence measurements. Thereby, in contrast with pristine BiMoO and BiVO, the as-synthesized heterojunction with nanoscale contact exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity towards the degradation of MB and the reduction of Cr(vi). In addition, the as-fabricated BiMoO/BiVO heterojunction exhibited good cycling stability for MB degradation after 4 cycles. Finally, a plausible photocatalytic mechanism for MB degradation over the BiMoO/BiVO heterojunction was discussed in detail. This work not only reports a highly efficient photocatalyst but also sheds light on the design and optimization of a heterojunction.