Characterization and photocatalytic properties of Au/BiVO4 composites

Au/BiVO4 composite powders have been hydrothermal synthesized and characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM and DRS techniques. The photocatalytic activities of the catalysts obtained were evaluated by the decolorization of methyl orange in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. It proved that the enhanced performance of Au/BiVO4 composite photocatalyst is mainly ascribed to the effective electron-hole separations at the semiconductor surface; and the optimum content of the doped metal can be easily controlled by adjusting the ratio of the rare precursor. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.