Significantly enhanced photocatalytic degradation towards tetracycline hydrochloride in BiVO4via surface defect engineering

Abstract

The strong driving force for carrier separation is a pivotal consideration in designing advanced environmental photocatalysts. In this study, bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄) photocatalysts enriched with oxygen defects were synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal method, enabling precise control over the density of active sites and the concentration of localized electrons. Experimental results indicate that defective BiVO₄ achieves a remarkable degradation efficiency of 86.3% for tetracycline hydrochloride under 90 minutes of visible-light irradiation. Furthermore, we found that the introduction of oxygen defects significantly increased the surface charge density of BiVO₄, and the catalyst bulk phase induced a strong internal electric field by the oxygen defects, which was not the case for conventional BiVO₄ samples. This work elucidates the vital role of oxygen defects in catalytic performance and offers valuable insights into developing in situ strategies for surface oxygen defect engineering.