Facet-Engineered Surface and Interface Design of Monoclinic Scheelite Bismuth Vanadate for Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance

Monoclinic scheelite bismuth vanadate ( m BiVO 4 ) has gradually been in the limelight in recent years because of its great potential in energy conversion and environmental remediation. However, the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs in m BiVO 4 have impeded the improvement of its photocatalytic performance and stability. Therefore, important issues are increasingly focused on fine-tuning the physicochemical properties of m BiVO 4 at the atomic level based on facet-engineered surface and interface design to optimize its selectivity and activity. Herein, the review begins with the fundamental aspects of m BiVO 4 semiconductor, including crystal structure, optical properties, electronic structure, and photocatalytic principles. Then the synthetic methods based on surface and interface design that develop to tailor the facet of m BiVO 4, along with the discussion of the mechanisms for facet-dependent photocatalytic performance, are presented. Most importantly, the latest advances in facet engineering that have been performed to regulate the surface of single m BiVO 4 and to design the interface structures that are directly involved in the photocatalytic reaction for m BiVO 4 -based composites are encompassed. Moreover, the photocatalytic application achievements with m BiVO 4 as photocatalysts in energy conversion and environmental remediation are also summarized. Finally, perspectives on the existing challenges and future research directions for this emerging frontier are discussed.