Understanding and Improving Photocatalytic Activity of Pd-Loaded BiVO Microspheres: Application to Visible Light-Induced Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling Reaction.

The effective utilization of visible light is required for exploiting photocatalytic reactions in indoor and outdoor environments. In this study, Pd-supported BiVO microspheres (Pd-BiVO) were prepared for visible light-induced photocatalytic reactions. Under irradiation with a white light-emitting diode, the obtained Pd-BiVO composite exhibited considerably improved catalytic activity for the decomposition of an organic dye compared with other BiVO catalysts.

In Situ Growth of the BiS Nanowire Array on the BiMoO Film for an Improved Photoelectrochemical Performance.

A single-crystalline BiS nanowire array (BiSNWA) is synthesized by an in situ hydrothermal reaction on the surface of a BiMoO film. As no additional source of Bi is provided during the process, the BiMoO layer acts as the Bi source for the synthesis of BiS nanowires. The fabricated BiMoO/BiSNWA electrode exhibited an increased photoelectrochemical (PEC) sulfite oxidation activity, which is attributed mainly to the effective interface obtained by the in situ hydrothermal growth, compared to other BiS electrodes.

Understanding Reaction Kinetics by Tailoring Metal Co-catalysts of the BiVO Photocatalyst.

In this study, the reaction mechanisms of metal-semiconductor composites used as photocatalysts were demonstrated by first preparing bismuth vanadate (BiVO) and then performing photodeposition of metal nanoparticles. The photocatalytic activity of metal-BiVO (M-BiVO, where M = Pt, Au, Ag) composites were evaluated through dye decomposition under UV-vis irradiation. The photocatalytic efficiency was significantly enhanced after Pt deposition as compared to other M-BiVO composites.

Facile Synthesis of BiVO for Visible-Light-Induced C-C Bond Cleavage of Alkenes to Generate Carbonyls.

BiVO crystals synthesized by an ultrasonic-assisted method (Sono-BiVO ) showed improved efficiency as a heterogeneous photocatalyst under visible-light irradiation. Sono-BiVO was successfully used for the C-C bond cleavage of alkenes to generate carbonyl compounds. Styrene derivatives were converted into carbonyl compounds in the presence of Sono-BiVO under highly sustainable conditions requiring only natural sources, that is, molecular oxygen, visible light, and water at room temperature.