CTAB assisted hydrothermal synthesis of oxygen vacancy enriched BiVO4 for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production

Abstract

The significance of oxygen vacancies (OVs) as active catalytic sites in enhancing the photocatalytic hydrogen production capacity of BiVO₄ was investigated. We effectively introduced OVs into BiVO₄via a CTAB-assisted hydrothermal method, thereby significantly boosting its photocatalytic performance. We analyzed the underlying chemical mechanisms associated with CTAB's regulation of BiVO₄ crystal growth and clarified the precise process facilitating OV formation. The results revealed that OV integration profoundly enhanced BiVO₄'s charge transfer efficiency and conductivity, showing a remarkable 25-fold surge in the photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of the optimized sample (118.93 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹) compared to unmodified BiVO₄. Further analyses emphasized the critical role of OV stability within the BiVO₄ crystal structure in improving the catalytic hydrogen production performance. This work exhibits the pivotal function of OVs in amplifying BiVO₄'s photocatalytic hydrogen production potential and offers fresh modification strategies and theoretical foundations for developing high-performance BiVO₄-based photocatalysts.