Fabrication of double-sided comb-like F/Ce co-doped BiVO4 micro/nanostructures for enhanced photocatalytic degradation and water oxidation

Hierarchically branched structures have attracted particular attention for the application in photocatalysis owing to their special physicochemical features. But the construction of hierarchical branch semiconductors is usually expensive and complex. In this work, a novel double-sided comb-like fluoride (F−) and cerium (Ce3+) co-doped monoclinic BiVO4 macro/nanostructured photocatalyst (BFCe) was successfully prepared through coupling via a facile hydrothermal method and calcination at 500 °C. A possible growth mechanism of the double-sided comb-like monoclinic BiVO4 was proposed and discussed. Compared with undoped (BVO) and F (BF) and Ce (BCe) single-doped bismuth vanadate, the BFCe sample (the mass ratio of Ce3+ to F− was 1:2) exhibited considerably increased photocatalytic performance toward degrading the rhodamine blue dye (94.8%) and water splitting (O2 evolution was 338.59 μmol/g). Experimental results showed that the F− and Ce3+ doping expands the visible light absorbance while enhancing the specific surface area. Thus, the double doping of F− and Ce3+ provided a synergistic effect, resulting in optimized photocatalytic decomposition efficiency, as corroborated by luminescence spectroscopy measurements. This work can serve as a useful guide for the engineering design of novel micro/nanomaterial with an increased catalytic performance for various applications.