BiVO₄-Based Magnetic Heterostructures as Photocatalysts for Degradation of Antibiotics in Water

Abstract

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) has been investigated as a photocatalyst of great interest due to its ability to harvest photons efficiently in the visible spectral region. In addition, powdered BiVO4 shows high photochemical stability, good dispersibility, and resistance to corrosion in oxidative conditions. Herein, we report the synthesis of monoclinic or tetragonal BiVO4 particles using different methods, as well as the synthesis of hybrids materials through the combination of cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) and BiVO4, and their application in the photodegradation of aqueous solutions of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) under simulated solar radiation. We demonstrate that high-crystallinity single-phase monoclinic BiVO4 was synthesized fast and efficiently using a solid-state method and, in combination with magnetic CoFe2O4 particles, gives rise to a hybrid material that can be easily separated from the reaction medium, by applying an external magnetic field, without the need for further downstream treatments.

Keywords

• bismuth vanadate
• magnetic photocatalysts
• solar light
• water remediation