Nanohybrids of Layered Titanate and Bismuth Vanadate as Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalysts for the Degradation of Dyes and Antibiotic

The present article reports a novel approach for synthesizing two-dimensional (2D) lattice-engineered layered titanate–bismuth vanadate (NS-titanate–BiVO4) nanohybrid thin films by a combination of electrophoretic deposition (EPD) and chemical solution growth (CSG) methods. The synthesized nanohybrid thin films display significant absorption of visible light and depressed electron–hole recombination, demonstrating the strong electronic coupling between the hybridized species. Upon hybridization, the chemical stability of pristine BiVO4 is significantly enhanced due to the highly stable NS-titanate. The hybridization of NS-titanate with BiVO4 leads to the formation of highly mesoporous house-of-cards-type morphology beneficial for improved photocatalytic activity. The resultant nanohybrids are very effective for visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of dyes (methylene blue (MB), rhodamine-B (Rh-B)) and tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) antibiotic with photodegradation rates of 85.1, 97, and 73%, respectively, higher than that of pristine BiVO4 which is one of the most prominent visible-light-active photocatalysts. Present results underscore the superior photofunctionality of the NS-titanate–BiVO4 nanohybrids as an effective visible-light-driven photocatalyst. Moreover, these findings vividly demonstrate that NS-titanate-based nanohybrids are quite effective in enhancing photocatalytic activity and developing various types of 2D nanosheet-based hybrid materials.