Synthesis of dumbbell-like CuO-BiVO_4 heterogeneous nanostructures with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

摘要

Novel dumbbell-like CuO-BiVO_4 (CuO-BVO) heterogeneous nanostructures with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity were successfully prepared by microwave method and impregnation-calcination technique. The products were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The experimental results reveal that the BiVO_4 samples are monoclinic phases with high crystallinity and purity. In addition, the dumbbell-like BiVO_4 is assembled by plenty of nanoparticles. This p-n junction of CuO-BVO heterogeneous nanostructures can promote the light absorption capability of photocatalyst and separation of excited electron-hole pairs. The photocatalytic experiments show that CuO loading can effectively enhance the photocatalytic activities of the samples which were evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange under visible-light irradiation.