Abstract:
By adjusting the pH of the precursor solution, different morphologies of BiVO
4:Yb
3+,Er
3+-
X (BYE-
X) were successfully synthesized via a facile microwave hydrothermal method. Tetracycline was employed as a model pollutant to evaluate the full-spectrum photocatalytic activity of BYE-
X samples. The experimental results revealed that when the pH ranged from 3 to 8, BYE showed pure monoclinic BiVO
4 phase. At pH values of 10−12, the synthesized samples had mixed phases of Bi
2O(OH)(VO
4), Bi
2O
3, and BiVO
4. A notable variation in the morphological characteristics of BYE was observed with the increasing pH values. The samples of different pH values showed obvious up-conversion luminescence. Due to the up-conversion of Er
3+and Yb
3+, the near-infrared (NIR) light was effectively utilized, successfully broadening the light response range. Under the visible or NIR light irradiation, BYE-5 demonstrated the optimal photodegradation activity. Based on the experimental results, a mechanism for full-spectrum photocatalysis was proposed. This work provides a feasible approach to improving the utilization of solar light by semiconductor catalysts, thereby achieving efficient full-spectrum photocatalytic activity.