Fabrication of Novel CuBi ₂ O ₄ /CeVO ₄ Heterostructure with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

In this study, a binary CuBi 2 O 4 /CeVO 4 heterostructure with outstanding photocatalytic performance was successfully synthesized through a straightforward strategy. A comprehensive array of characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption/desorption, fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis DRS), field emission scanning and transmission electron microscopy (FE-SEM and TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL) and photoelectrochemical analysis, were employed to thoroughly characterize the catalysts. The results reveal that CBO/CVO-1:1 exhibits remarkable visible-light absorption capability and superior charge carrier separation and transfer efficiency. As a result, CBO/CVO-1:1 demonstrates exceptional photocatalytic activity for tetracycline (TC) degradation under visible light irradiation, achieving a degradation efficiency of approximately 69.8% within 120[Formula: see text]min, while the degradation efficiencies of pure CuBi 2 O 4 and CeVO 4 are only 47.9% and 42.4%, respectively. Moreover, the apparent reaction rate of CBO/CVO-1:1 (approximately 0.00969[Formula: see text]min[Formula: see text] is 1.73 times and 1.93 times higher than those of CuBi 2 O 4 (0.00561[Formula: see text]min[Formula: see text] and CeVO 4 (0.00501[Formula: see text]min[Formula: see text], respectively. Radical trapping experiments and electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements confirm that the primary active species, superoxide ([Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text]) radicals, play a crucial role in the photocatalytic degradation of TC. Based on these experimental observations, a plausible type-II heterojunction photocatalytic mechanism for TC degradation by the CuBi 2 O 4 /CeVO 4 heterostructure is proposed.