Photocatalytic studies performed on well-defined epitaxial thin films and heterostructures allow the direct investigation of crystallographic-dependent reactivity, and can provide fundamental insights into the reaction mechanisms. In this work, we show that phase-pure, monoclinic BiVO4 nanoislands with a truncated pyramid shape displaying {110} sidewalls can be grown on (001)-oriented yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates with an epitaxial relationship of BiVO4(010)[001] // YSZ(001)[100]. The resulting nanostructures show a strong size-dependent mass-normalized photocatalytic activity, with highly dispersed nanoislands at low coverage being the most active for rhodamine B degradation. Different from studies performed on faceted nanocrystals, when BiVO4 nanostructured films react with Pb(NO3)2 in aqueous solution with and without NaIO3 under full arc irradiation of Xe lamp, nanoparticles were found on the (110) and (010) surface of BiVO4, respectively, indicating that the cocatalyst could be selectively deposition on different facets of the same photocatalayst.
Revised: June 4, 2019 |
Published: July 5, 2019
Citation
Li G., Q. Shen, Z. Yang, S. Kou, F. Zhang, W. Zhang, and H. Guo, et al. 2019.Photocatalytic behaviors of epitaxial BiVO4 (010) thin films.Applied Catalysis B: Environmental 248.PNNL-SA-136328.doi:10.1016/j.apcatb.2019.02.028