Structuring porous "sponge-like" BiVO4 film for efficient photocatalysis under visible light illumination.

The porous "sponge-like" BiVO(4) films were prepared with the polystyrene (PS) as pore forming material and F-doped SnO(2) (FTO) glass as substrate. SEM observation displayed that "sponge-like" BiVO(4) film with interconnect pore structure was successfully obtained. DRS analysis indicated the light absorption ability of BiVO(4) film was enhanced by constructing porous structure. The measurement of surface area showed that porosity could elevate the surface area of the BiVO(4) film. The experiment of PEC degradation of phenol showed that the degradation rate on the porous BiVO(4) film (with 200 μL) was 2.68 times as much as that on the BiVO(4) film. The enhanced PEC performance was attributed to the increased photo absorption ability, elevated surface area, and more efficient reactant transfer.