The Synthesis of a Novel Ternary Bi/Bi2WO6/Amorphous Bi4V2O11 Heterojunction Photocatalyst with Enhanced Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Reduction of Cr(VI)

Herein, a novel ternary Bi/Bi 2 WO 6 /amorphous Bi 4 V 2 O 11 heterojunction photocatalyst was first synthesized via a facile one-pot solvothermal approach using ethylene glycol as a reaction medium. In this ternary heterojunction system, highly homogeneous-dispersed metal Bi and Bi 2 WO 6 nanoparticles were supported on amorphous Bi 4 V 2 O 11 flakes. Because of the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) efficiency of metal Bi nanoparticles, as-fabricated Bi/Bi 2 WO 6 /amorphous Bi 4 V 2 O 11 heterojunction photocatalyst exhibited a strong light absorbance capacity in the visible-light and near-infrared light range, which can be verified by UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra measurements. The Bi/Bi 2 WO 6 /amorphous Bi 4 V 2 O 11 heterojunction photocatalyst showed remarkably enhanced photocatalytic activity toward the photoreduction of heavy metal ion Cr(VI) and the photodegradation of MB under visible-light irradiation. The drastically enhanced photocatalytic activity in the ternary Bi/Bi 2 WO 6 /amorphous Bi 4 V 2 O 11 system could be attributed to the SPR effect of metal Bi and the promoted separation and transport efficiency of photo-induced charge carriers stemming from the construction of ternary heterojunction. Moreover, Bi/Bi 2 WO 6 /amorphous Bi 4 V 2 O 11 heterojunctions exhibited a good cycling stability for Cr(VI) reduction after 5 cycles. This study may be supply new insight into the fabrication of highly efficient and stable Bi 4 V 2 O 11 -based photocatalysts, and it is expected to have certain theoretical and experimental value in the design and exploitation of novel heterojunction photocatalyst. Graphical Abstract