Conductive FeSe nanorods: A novel and efficientco-catalyst deposited on BiVO4 for enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light

Wenwu Zhong, Wenguang Tu, You Xu, Baishao Zhan, Shifeng Jin, Rong Xu*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Developing efficient co-catalyst is an important task in photocatalysis, because co-catalyst can inhibit the recombination of photogenerated charge-carriers in semiconductors and serve as active sites for targeted reactions. Herein we for the first time introduce a superconducting material, β-FeSe, as a noble-metal free co-catalyst, which is deposited onto the surface of BiVO4 for the effective degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm). Owing to its superior electron conductivity, FeSe nanorods deposited BiVO4with an optimized loading (2 wt%) displays 8-time improvement of the RhB degradation rate than BiVO4 alone. The dye molecules can be completely degraded in 20 min by adding a low concentration of H2O2. It is confirmed that FeSe nanorods can extend light absorption range, minimize charge recombination rate, and serve as active sites simultaneously, thus improving the photocatalytic performance. This work may provide new insights for developing alternative co-catalysts for photocatalytic applications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4206-4211
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
Volume5
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2017
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Chemical Engineering (miscellaneous)
  • Waste Management and Disposal
  • Pollution
  • Process Chemistry and Technology

Keywords

  • BiVO
  • Co-catalyst
  • FeSe nanorods
  • Photocatalysis
  • Water decontamination

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