Fe-doped BiVO4 photocatalyst assisting SnO2 nanorod arrays for efficient visible-light-driven degradation of Basic Red 46

Designing and constructing heterogeneous structures is an effective approach employed to improve photocatalytic performance. This study aimed to use Fe-doped BiVO4/SnO2 nanocomposites for photocatalytic degradation of Basic Red 46 (BR46) dye under visible-light irradiation. BiVO4 nanoparticles doped with varying amounts of Fe were synthesized using the sol-gel method and interspersed on SnO2 nanorods with an average diameter of about 100 nm fabricated using the liquid phase deposition (LPD) process. FE-SEM, EDX, XRD, FT-IR, XPS, BET, DRS, and PL analysis were used to characterize the morphology and structure of the samples. The 1.5 wt% Fe-doped BiVO4/SnO2 nanocomposite exhibited the highest visible-light photoactivity with excellent stability, resulting in complete degradation of BR46 within 90 min of irradiation. The boost photocatalytic activity of Fe-doped BiVO4/SnO2 nanocomposite can be attributed to the enhanced separation of photo-generated carriers derived from synergistic effects by the BiVO4/SnO2 heterostructure, Fe doping in BiVO4 lattice, and partly the extended light absorption ability. These findings show that designing a heterogeneous BiVO4/SnO2 structure with Fe-doping can be a promising strategy for the application in constructing efficient and stable photocatalysts for the degradation of dyes from industrial wastewater pollutions.