Ag(3)VO(4) Nanoparticles Decorated Bi(2)O(2)CO(3) Micro-Flowers: An Efficient Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalyst for the Removal of Toxic Contaminants

Semiconductor-based photocatalysis is of great potential for tackling the environmental pollution. Herein, a novel hierarchical heterostructure of Bi(2)O(2)CO(3) micro-flowers in-situ decorated with Ag(3)VO(4) nanoparticles was developed by a facile method. Various characterization techniques have been employed to study the physical and chemical property of the novel catalyst. The novel catalyst was utilized for the photocatalytic removal of industrial dyes (rhodamine B, methyl orange) and tetracycline antibiotic under visible-light irradiation. The results indicated that Ag(3)VO(4)/Bi(2)O(2)CO(3) heterojunctions showed a remarkably enhanced activity, significantly higher than those of bare Ag(3)VO(4), Bi(2)O(2)CO(3), and the physical mixture of Ag(3)VO(4) and Bi(2)O(2)CO(3) samples. This could be ascribed to an enhanced visible-light harvesting capacity and effective separation of charge carriers by virtue of the construction of hierarchical Ag(3)VO(4)/Bi(2)O(2)CO(3) heterojunction. Moreover, Ag(3)VO(4)/Bi(2)O(2)CO(3) also possesses an excellent cycling stability. The outstanding performance of Ag(3)VO(4)/Bi(2)O(2)CO(3) in removal of toxic pollutants indicates the potential of Ag(3)VO(4)/Bi(2)O(2)CO(3) in real environmental remediation. Highlights: Novel architectures of Ag(3)VO(4) nanoparticles modified Bi(2)O(2)CO(3) micro-flowers were constructed. Novel Ag(3)VO(4)/Bi(2)O(2)CO(3) exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity and stability. Ag(3)VO(4)/Bi(2)O(2)CO(3) heterojunctions significantly promote the charge separation.