Fabrication of a ternary heterostructure BiVO4 quantum dots/C60/g-C3N4 photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Abstract The BiVO4/C60/g-C3N4 ternary heterostructure composite was synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method by loading BiVO4 quantum dots (QDs) onto the surface of C60/g-C3N4, which has excellent photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm). The BiVO4/C60/g-C3N4 composite oxidatively degraded the organic pollutant Rhodamine B (Rh B) under visible light irradiation, due to the enhanced visible-light harvesting and the increased specific surface area after the addition of BiVO4 QDs. The composite material can effectively inhibit photoinduced electron-hole recombination, improve charge transfer efficiency, and significantly improve photocatalytic efficiency as compared with other single or binary components.