Effect of polymer additives on photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical properties of BiVO4 prepared from aqueous metal-chelate solution

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is a promising semiconductor for O-2 production as a photocatalyst/photoanode due to its suitable band gap (2.4 eV) for absorption of the solar spectrum. Nevertheless, it is challenging to develop an applicable preparation process for size and crystallinity-controllable BiVO4 photocatalysts/photoanodes. Here, we report an innovative method of introducing an aqueous metal-chelate solution containing Bi3+ and V5+, appropriate chelators, and a water-soluble polymer to obtain nanoparticulate BiVO4 photocatalysts/photoanodes with efficient photo-oxidation performances under visible-light irradiation. The structural characteristics and photocatalytic performances of the particles/photoelectrodes obtained were changed by the kind of polymer, even prepared under the same process.