Photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical activity of N-doped BiPO4 photocatalyst

Abstract

N-doped BiPO₄ photocatalysts were successfully synthesized via a facile microwave hydrothermal method. XRD, Raman, and XPS results confirmed that the nitrogen atoms were incorporated into the lattice of BiPO₄ to replace oxygen atoms. The doped nitrogen did not affect the crystalline structure of BiPO₄. With the increase of nitrogen content, the nanorod sizes of N-doped BiPO₄ were decreased gradually compared with those of pure BiPO₄. The photocatalytic activity of N-doped BiPO₄ was remarkably improved. Greater than 96% photodegradation of RhB under the exposure of UV light was achieved within 15 min with 21 at%, and its degradation rate was about 2.1 times greater than pure BiPO₄. This phenomenon could be attributed to the fact that the nitrogen doped into BiPO₄ improved the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes.