Synthesis of m-LaVO4/BiOBr composite photocatalysts and their photocatalytic performance under visible light

Visible-light driven m-LaVO4/BiOBr composite photocatalysts were synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal process, and were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, respectively. The results showed that 1.0 wt% LaVO4/BiOBr sample exhibits the highest photodegradation rate of RhB under visible-light irradiation, within 60 mins, it achieved 83.37%. The enhanced photocatalytic performance can be ascribed to the formation of p-n heterojunction structure and the inhibition of m-LaVO4 to 2D growth of BiOBr to a certain extent. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.