In situ synthesis of BiVO4/BiOBr microsphere heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic performance

Photocatalytic performance of semiconductor heterojunction is greatly influenced by integration degree of the components. In this work, BiVO4 nanosheets were in situ synthesized on BiOBr microsphere and a well-integrated BiVO4/BiOBr heterojunction was prepared. This method effectively prevented the agglomeration of BiVO4 nanosheets. The BiVO4/BiOBr heterojunction had a larger BET surface area, faster transfer of charge carriers and a much better photocatalytic performance than that of BiVO4. Compared with BiOBr, it had an enhanced visible-light absorbance and a better cyclic stability. Possible photocatalytic mechanism of the BiVO4/BiOBr heterojunction was proposed.