Photodegradation of organics over a new composite catalyst V2O5/SmVO4

A visible light active photodegradation catalyst was prepared by coupling V2O5 with SmVO4. The best catalyst shows 99.5% conversion of acetone. It was also proved to be efficient for the photodegradation of methanol, 2-propanol, and benzene. The Pt doped VSmO composite catalyst has higher photocatalytic activity and complete oxidation ability. By BET, XRD, UV–vis and PL techniques, the specific surface area, structure and optical properties of the catalyst samples were characterized. The high photodegradation activities of the VSmO and Pt/VSmO catalysts could be attributed to the enhanced charge separation by the electrons and/or holes transfer between V2O5 and SmVO4 semiconductors.