In-situ synthesis of BiVO4 film by OH− assisted VO3− releasing and its efficient visible light photocatalytic property

A fish bone-like BiVO 4 film was successfully prepared in-situ on metal Bi substrate via a facile one-step hydrothermal method. The obtained BiVO 4 film exhibits excellent tetracycline photodegradation efficiency, reaching 89.7% in 240 min under visible light irradiation. Its quantum yield (6.3 × 10 −5 molecules photon −1 ) and kinetic reaction rate (7.80 μmol g −1  h −1 ) are better than most reported immobilized Bi-based systems. Finally, the formation mechanism was investigated, which suggests that OH − plays a vital role in forming BiVO 4 film by affecting the release of VO 3 − . The results of this study provide available means in the in-situ preparation of Bi-based photocatalyst film.