Cu2−xSe Modification onto Monoclinic BiVO4 for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity Under Visible Light.

The rapid recombination of electron-hole pairs in BiVO₄ has limited its performance as a photocatalysis. In this paper, BiVO₄ is combined with Cu_2−xSe semiconductor to slow down the recombination process, and thus improve its photocatalytic activity. This is enabled by careful band structure design. The work function of Cu_2−xSe is larger than that of BiVO₄. Therefore, electrons flow to Cu_2−xSe from BiVO₄ after the composition. Accordingly, an inner field could be built, which facilitates the separation of electrons and holes. The experimental result shows that the photocatalytic efficiency of the 3 wt% Cu_2−xSe/BiVO₄ composite is 15.8 times than that of pure BiVO₄. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]