Facile Assembly of InVO4 /TiO2 Heterojunction for Enhanced Photo-Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol

Abstract

In this work, an InVO4 /TiO2 heterojunction composite catalyst was successfully synthesized through a facile hydrothermal method. The structural and optical characteristics of InVO4 /TiO2 heterojunction composites are investigated using a variety of techniques, including powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and spectroscopy techniques. The addition of InVO4 to TiO2 considerably enhanced the photocatalytic performance in selective photooxidation of benzyl alcohol (BA). The 10 wt% InVO4/ TiO2 composite photocatalyst provided a decent 100% BA conversion with over 99% selectivity for benzaldehyde, and exhibited a maximum conversion rate of 3.03 mmol g−1 h−1, which is substantially higher than bare InVO4 and TiO2 . The excellent catalytic activity of the InVO4/ TiO2 photocatalyst is associated with the successful assembly of heterostructures, which promotes the charge separation and transfer between InVO4 and TiO2 .