Facile Assembly of InVO(4)/TiO(2) Heterojunction for Enhanced Photo-Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol

In this work, an InVO(4)/TiO(2) heterojunction composite catalyst was successfully synthesized through a facile hydrothermal method. The structural and optical characteristics of InVO(4)/TiO(2) heterojunction composites are investigated using a variety of techniques, including powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and spectroscopy techniques. The addition of InVO(4) to TiO(2) considerably enhanced the photocatalytic performance in selective photo-oxidation of benzyl alcohol (BA). The 10 wt% InVO(4/)TiO(2) composite photocatalyst provided a decent 100% BA conversion with over 99% selectivity for benzaldehyde, and exhibited a maximum conversion rate of 3.03 mmol g(−1) h(−1), which is substantially higher than bare InVO(4) and TiO(2). The excellent catalytic activity of the InVO(4/)TiO(2) photocatalyst is associated with the successful assembly of heterostructures, which promotes the charge separation and transfer between InVO(4) and TiO(2).