Facet-Engineered Surface and Interface Design of Monoclinic Scheelite Bismuth Vanadate for Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance

Monoclinic scheelite bismuth vanadate (mBiVO4) has gradually been in the limelight in recent years because of its great potential in energy conversion and environmental remediation. However, the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs in mBiVO4 have impeded the improvement of its photocatalytic performance and stability. Therefore, important issues are increasingly focused on fine-tuning the physicochemical properties of mBiVO4 at the atomic level based on facet-engineered surface and interface design to optimize its selectivity and activity. Herein, the review begins with the fundamental aspects of mBiVO4 semiconductor, including crystal structure, optical properties, electronic structure, and photocatalytic principles. Then the synthetic methods based on surface and interface design that develop to tailor the facet of mBiVO4, along with the discussion of the mechanisms for facet-dependent photocatalytic performance, are presented. Most importantly, the latest advances in facet engineering that have been performed to regulate the surface of single mBiVO4 and to design the interface structures that are directly involved in the photocatalytic reaction for mBiVO4-based composites are encompassed. Moreover, the photocatalytic application achievements with mBiVO4 as photocatalysts in energy conversion and environmental remediation are also summarized. Finally, perspectives on the existing challenges and future research directions for this emerging frontier are discussed.