Boosted photoelectrocatalytic removal of bisphenol A in a wide spectral range on 3D BiVO4/TiO2 nanoforest

Nanostructure construction and heterojunction engineering are effective strategies for designing highly efficient photoelectrodes. Herein, we report a BiVO4 quantum dots (BQDs)/TiO2 nanoforest photoanode with 3D configuration that exhibited improved light harvesting and charge transfer efficiency. Enhanced and directional charge separation were attributed to the synergetic effect of TiO2 facet heterojunction and BiVO4/TiO2 type-II heterojunction, which were confirmed by in-situ XPS and KPFM technology. Finally, a boosted photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) bisphenol A (BPA) removal for 97.28 % in 30 min under a wide spectral range was achieved. This work offers insight into the rational design of nanostructure and heterojunction of photoelectrode.