Photocatalytic degradation of bismuth vanadate/graphene nanocomposites

Graphene oxide was prepared by an improved Hummers method. The graphite oxide was removed by ultrasonic stripping and the composite was prepared. The composites were characterized by SEM, EDX, XRD, TEM, XPS, FT-IR and UV–Vis. Using Rhodamine B as degradation material, the precursor body fluid was synthesized by hydrothermal method at pH = 7, hydrothermal reaction temperature 180 °C and reaction time 8 h. The prepared Bismuth vanadate sample showed the best degradation effect, the highest photocatalytic activity, and the best performance of Bismuth vanadate doped with different amounts of graphene. The degradation rate of RhB dye by 3%GO/BiVO4 reached the maximum 94.25%. The photocatalytic reaction kinetics analysis showed that the degradation of RhB dye in all samples was consistent with the first order reaction kinetics equation, and the degradation degree of 3%GO/BiVO4 was about 5.3 times that of pure BiVO4. The stability and reusability of the catalyst were evaluated through the photocycle stability experiment. With the gradual increase of The Times of catalyst use, the catalytic degradation effect of the catalyst on the simulated dye wastewater gradually weakened.