Preparation of noble metal Ag-modified BiVO₄nanosheets and a study on the degradation performance of tetracyclines

A noble metal Ag-modified BiVO4 (Ag-BVO) composite photocatalyst was synthesized by photodeposition technology. The as-prepared photocatalyst was characterized via XRD, SEM, XPS, UV-vis DRS and electrochemistry measurement. The results indicated that small-sized noble metal Ag particles are uniformly distributed on the BiVO4 nanosheet surface, and they exhibit superior photocatalytic performance to BiVO4 for tetracycline (TC) degradation. As a result, the improved degradation efficiency of Ag-BVO attributed to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of precious metal Ag effectively broadens the visible light response range of the catalyst and forms a Schottky barrier at the interface between Ag and BiVO4 as the electron capture center to enhance the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers. In addition, radical trapping experiment and ESR spectroscopy show that O2- is the main active species in the degradation process. This work may provide a promising approach for synthesizing BiVO4-based photocatalysts and application in wastewater treatment.