Directly Unveiling the Photothermal Corrosion of BiVO₄via In-situ Transmission Electron Microscopy

Abstract

BiVO₄ (BVO) is widely utilized in photothermal catalysis because of its favorable bandgap structure (2.4 eV), excellent photo response capabilities and high thermal stability. However, the mechanism of BVO photothermal corrosion still remains unclear due to the lack of visualized characterization on the degradation process in real time. Herein, we directly unveil the photothermal-induced microstructural evolution of BVO through in-situ heating (scanning) transmission electron microscopy [(S)TEM]. The results indicate that the electrons are the initiating condition (“switch”) for the photothermal corrosion of BVO, resulting in the precipitation of Bi and reduction of V⁵⁺ to V³⁺ in the substrate, while the thermal field facilitates the evaporation of Bi and the recrystallization of V₂O₃. This work sheds light on the mechanism of BVO photothermal corrosion in dynamics and provides significant insights into the photothermal synergistic effects.

Keywords

BiVO₄ / Photothermal corrosion / In-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) / Photothermal catalysis / Structural evolution / Engineering / Materials Engineering

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RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Jilin University, The Editorial Department of Chemical Research in Chinese Universities and Springer-Verlag GmbH