Highly ordered mesoporous BiVO4: Controllable ordering degree and super photocatalytic ability under visible light

Highly ordered mesoporous BiVO4 was prepared by nanocasting method using mesoporous silica as a template. The degree of ordering of mesoporous BiVO4 could be controlled by repeating filling/conversion process. And highly ordered mesoporous BiVO4 had been got after repeating filling/conversion process for three times. Compared with BiVO4, photocatalytic activity of mesoporous BiVO4 was enhanced under visible light. This enhancement could be attributed to the mesoporous structure, which elevated the absorption ability, increased the separation efficiency of photo-generated carriers, and improved surface reaction sites for consumption of photo-generated carriers. Meanwhile, the proposed formation mechanism of ordered mesoporous BiVO4 was put forward.

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► The highly ordered mesoporous BiVO4 were successfully produced.
► Ordering degree of BiVO4 could be controlled by repeating filling/conversion process.
► Photocatalytic ability of BiVO4 was enhanced by constructing mesoporous framework.