Visible light-driven photocatalyst -Bi₇VO₁₃ nanoparticles synthesized by thermal plasma

Understanding the electronic structure of photocatalysts is crucial for enhancing their efficiency. In this study, we have successfully synthesized novel monoclinic bismuth vanadate (Bi7VO13) nanoparticles using the gas phase condensation technique, with an average particle size of 40 nm. To investigate the crystallographic structure of the as-synthesized nanoparticles, we conducted X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments. Additionally, we employed advanced characterization techniques to provide a detailed analysis of the electronic structure of Bi7VO13 nanoparticles. This study presents the first report on the electronic structure of Bi7VO13 nanoparticles using the aforementioned spectroscopic methods. Remarkably, the investigation revealed that the valence band maximum (VB) and conduction band minimum (CB) are dominated by O 2p and V 3d states, respectively.Moreover, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) reveals splitting the V 3d conduction band state into a triplet d-manifold at the V L-edge and O K-edge. This splitting arises from the lattice distortion induced by lone pairs, which gives rise to a band gap of 2.28 eV. Under visible light irradiation, the Bi7VO13 nanoparticles exhibit efficient visible light absorption, highlighting their potential for photocatalytic applications. Notably, our experiments demonstrated outstanding photodegradation properties of methylene blue, serving as a model effluent, further underscoring the photocatalytic progress of Bi7VO13 nanoparticles. In conclusion, this research explains the functioning of Bi7VO13 photocatalysts and opens the doors for utilizing their potential to generate a cleaner and brighter future.