Bi2O3/BiVO4@graphene oxide van der Waals heterostructures with enhanced photocatalytic activity toward oxygen generation.

Abstract The van der Waals (vdW) integration enables to create heterostructures with intimate contact and bring new opportunities. However, it is not confined to layered materials but can also be generally extended to 3D materials. Multidimensional Bi2O3/BiVO4@graphene oxide (GO) van der Waals heterostructures are synthesized by one-pot wet chemistry method. Bi2O3/BiVO4 composite nanoparticles are self-assembled with GO framework by vdW interaction to form vdW heterostructures, in which GO framework allows short electron transport distance and rapid charge transfer and provides massive reactive sites. Such self-assembled heterostructures show a superior high photoactivity towards oxygen evolution with an enhanced oxygen generation rate of 1828 µmol h−1 g−1, nearly 3 times than that of pure BiVO4, attributed to the accelerated charge separation and transfer processes of Bi2O3/BiVO4@GO vdW heterostructures. This study indicates that our strategy provides a new avenue towards fabricating multi-dimensional vdW heterostructures and inspiring more innovative insights in oxygen evolution field.