Synthesis of Fe3O4/C with Cauliflower-Like BiVO4 for Improved Separation Efficiency of Charge Carriers and Photocatalytic Activity

Fe3O4/C/BiVO4 composite photocatalyst was fabricated successfully by a simple approach using yeast as a carbon source. Fe3O4/C/BiVO4 sample exhibited higher efficiency for photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC) as compared to pure BiVO4 under visible light. In addition, after five recycles of photodegradation of TC, Fe3O4/C/BiVO4 showed a slight loss in photocatalytic activity, which confirmed its stability and long-time reusability. The photocatalytic mechanism was studied by active species trapping experiments, which revealed that the holes (h +) and superoxide radical (˙O− 2) played a key role in TC degradation. Moreover, photocatalyst could be easily recycled by an external magnetic field and reused without any loss in photocatalytic activity. This work provides a simple, eco-friendly and exemplary strategy for improving photodegradation activity of BiVO4-based photocatalyst.