Formation of mesoporous heterostructured BiVO₄/Bi ₂S₃ hollow discoids with enhanced photoactivity

Semiconductor heterostructures are of great interest in a wide range of applications. In this work, we design and synthesize a novel heteronanostructure with controlled relative composition, i.e., BiVO₄/Bi ₂S₃ hollow discoid-like particles with mesoporous shell. The synthesis involves a facile anion exchange process by reacting pre-synthesized BiVO₄ discoid-like particles with Na₂S in an aqueous solution. Benefiting from the unique structural features and the formation of heterostructure, the as-prepared BiVO₄/Bi ₂S₃ hollow discoids exhibit significantly enhanced photoelectrochemical current response and photocatalytic activity for reduction of Cr^VI under visible-light illumination. Unique features: Uniform heterostructured BiVO₄/Bi₂S₃ hollow discoids with mesoporous shell are synthesized by a facile anion exchange reaction of BiVO₄ discoids in aqueous Na₂S solution. Because of their heterostructured nature they exhibit significantly enhanced photocurrent response and photocatalytic activity for reduction of Cr^VI under visible-light illumination. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.