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. 2021 Sep 2;11(47):29507-29518.
doi: 10.1039/d1ra04717e. eCollection 2021 Sep 1.

A novel BiVO3/SnO2 step S-scheme nano-heterojunction for an enhanced visible light photocatalytic degradation of amaranth dye and hydrogen production

Hisham S M Abd-Rabboh  1   2 , A H Galal  2   3 , Rafi Abdel Aziz  2 , M A Ahmed  2
Affiliations

A novel BiVO3/SnO2 step S-scheme nano-heterojunction for an enhanced visible light photocatalytic degradation of amaranth dye and hydrogen production

Hisham S M Abd-Rabboh et al. RSC Adv. .

Abstract

The destruction of toxic pollutants and production of hydrogen gas on the surface of semiconductors under light irradiation is the main significance of photocatalysis. Heterojunctions with matching in band gap energy are urgently required for enhancing the redox power of the charge carriers. A step S-scheme BiVO3/SnO2 nano-heterojunction was carefully synthesized for a successful photodegradation of amaranth dye and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Tetragonal SnO2 nanoparticles of 80 m2 g-1 surface area and distinct mesoporous structure were fabricated by a sol-gel route in the presence of Tween-80 as the pore structure directing agent. BiVO3 nanoparticles were deposited homogeneously on the SnO2 surface in an ultrasonic bath of power intensity 300 W. The photocatalytic efficiency in the destruction of amaranth dye soar with increasing BiVO3 contents of up to 10 wt%. The hydrogen evolution rate reached 8.2 mmol g-1 h-1, which is eight times stronger than that of pristine SnO2. The sonicated nanocomposites were investigated by XRD, BET, FESEM, HRTEM, EDS, DRS and PL techniques. The step S-scheme heterojunction with superior oxidative and reductive power is the primary key for the exceptional photocatalytic process. The PL of terephthalic acid and the scavenger trapping experiments reveal the charge migration through the step S-scheme mechanism rather than the type (II) heterojunction mechanism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest in the research work.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. (a) XRD of SnO2, BiVO3, SnBi5, SnBi10, SnBi15 and SnBi20.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. N2-adsorption–desorption isotherm of SnO2, BiVO3, SnBi5, SnBi10, SnBi15 and SnBi20.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. TEM of (a) SnO2, (b) BiVO3, and (c) SnBi10, (d) HRTEM of (d) SnO2, (e) BiVO3, and (f) SnBi10, and SAED of (g) SnO2, (h) BiVO3, and (i) SnBi10.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4. XPS of Sn, O, Bi and V in SnBi10.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5. (a) DRS of SnO2, BiVO3, SnBi5, SnBi10, SnBi15 and SnBi20, (b) Tauc plot for SnO2, BiVO3, SnBi5, SnBi10, SnBi15 and SnBi20, (c) PL of SnO2 and SnBi10, (d) Photodegradation of amaranth dye over SnO2 containing various proportions of BiVO3.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6. (a) PL of terephthalic acid over SnBi10, (b) effect of various scavengers over SnBi10, (c) effect of regeneration of SnBi10 on the removal of amaranth dye, and (d) effect of photocatalyst weight on the removal of amaranth dye.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7. Absorption spectrum for removal of rhodamine B dye over (a) SnO2 and (b) SnBi10, and absorption spectrum for removal of fluorescein dye over (c) SnO2 and (d) SnBi10.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8. (a) The influence of amount of BiVO3 on the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate (mmol g−1 h−1), (b) the effect of weight of the photocatalyst on the amount of hydrogen evolved (mmol g−1 h−1), (c) the effect of pH on the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution over SnBi10, and (d) the effect of catalyst regeneration on the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution over SnBi10.
Fig. 9
Fig. 9. A scheme for charge transfer between SnO2 and BiVO3 under solar light.
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