Hong SS

Vol. 27,  No. 2, pp. 146-151, Jun.  2021
10.7464/ksct.2021.27.2.146

Bismuth vanadates Sm ion doped BiVO4 Photocatalytic decomposition of Rhodamine B

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Pure and Sm ion doped BiVO4 catalysts were synthesized using a conventional hydrothermal method and characterized by XRD, DRS, SEM, and PL. We also examined the activity of these materials on the photocatalytic decomposition of rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. The doping of Sm ion into BiVO4 catalyst changed the ms-BiVO4 crystal structure into the tz-BiVO4 crystal structure in the low synthesis temperature. Light absorption analysis using DRS showed that all the catalysts displayed strong absorption in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum regardless of Sm ion doping. In addition, an amorphous morphology was shown in the pure BiVO4 catalyst, but the morphology of the BiVO4 catalyst doped with Sm ion was changed into an ellipse shape and also the particle size decreased. In the photocatalytic decomposition of rhodamine B, Sm ion doped BiVO4 catalyst showed higher photocatalytic activity than the pure BiVO4 catalyst. In addition, the Sm3-BVO catalyst doped with 3% Sm ion showed the highest photocatalytic activity, as well as the highest formation rate of OH radicals (.OH) and the highest PL peak. This result suggests that the formation rate of OH radicals produced in the interface between the photocatalyst and water is well correlated with the photocatalytic activity.