Facile fabrication of magnetically recyclable Fe3O4/BiVO4/CuS heterojunction photocatalyst for boosting simultaneous Cr(VI) reduction and methylene blue degradation under visible light

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds Vol. 895; p. 162631
• Main Authors: Xu, Guoli, Du, Meiling, Zhang, Jiabao, Li, Tao, Guan, Yueping, Guo, Chen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 25.02.2022; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Bismuth oxides; Charge efficiency; Contaminants; Copper sulfides; Current carriers; Electron paramagnetic resonance; Electron spin; Fe3O4/BiVO4/CuS heterojunction; Heavy metals; Heterojunctions; Iron oxides; Light irradiation; Magnetism; Methylene blue; Nanoparticles; P-n junctions; Photocatalysis; Photocatalysts; Photodegradation; Pollutants; Simultaneous removal; Spectral sensitivity; Spin resonance; Vanadates; Wastewater; Water pollution; Simultaneous removal; Magnetism; Photocatalysis; Fe3O4/BiVO4/CuS heterojunction
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2021.162631

•A novel Fe3O4/BiVO4/CuS heterojunction photocatalyst was facilely synthesized.•It achieved simultaneous and efficient Cr(VI) reduction and MB degradation.•Fe3O4/BiVO4/CuS showed good photocatalytic stability, reusability and sustainability.•Fe3O4/BiVO4/CuS effectively promoted charge transfer and separation.•A synergistic mechanism for simultaneous removal of mixed pollutants was proposed. [Display omitted] It is a challenging problem that develops a low-cost, efficient and sustainable technology in order to remove heavy metals and organic contaminants in the practical wastewater. Herein, a novel recyclable Fe3O4/BiVO4/CuS (FBCu) heterojunction photocatalyst was facilely fabricated by a method, coating CuS nanoparticles on the surface of Fe3O4 and BiVO4 simultaneously. FBCu composite not only has the ability to degrade Cr(VI) or methylene blue (MB) alone under visible light irradiation, but also exhibits higher photocatalytic ability in simultaneously removing Cr(VI) and MB mixed pollutants. The superior photocatalytic performance of FBCu is related to the formation of p-n heterojunction, which extends the spectral response and facilitates the efficiency of charge carriers separation and utilization. Moreover, FBCu exhibits satisfactory properties of reusability and stability after five cycling experiments in the Cr(VI)-MB coexistence system. Furthermore, the detailed mechanism for simultaneous removal of mixed pollutants was proposed and verified by DRS results, photoelectrochemical analysis, scavenger experiments and electron spin resonance determination. This work provides a recyclable photocatalyst with eco-friendliness and multifunctional applications in water pollution.