BIVO4-DECORATED ON bcl SILICA USING IMPREGNATION METHOD FOR PHOTOCHEMICAL APPLICATIONS Kamil Ahmad**, Sudirman, Irma Mulyani, Veinardi Suendo*
Bandung Institute of Technology, Bandung, Indonesia
Abstract
Now a days, demand for clean energy has driven research into efficient solar energy utilization. Therefore, this study proposes the synthesis of a unique material by decorating bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄-) on bicontinuous concentric lamellar (bcl) silica. bcl Silica as support material has a unique spherical porous morphology, a large surface area, thermodynamic stability, an open channel structure, etc., while, on the other hand, BiVO₄- is a cost-effective, non-toxic semiconductor with a narrow bandgap (2.3-2.4 eV). Despite recent advancements, Bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄-) faces challenges, including rapid electron-hole pair recombination and limited visible-light absorption, which hinder its broader applications. This study aims to address these limitations of BiVO4 by decorating BiVO₄- on support catalyst material, bcl silica. The unique structural features of bcl silica, such as large surface area, adjustable pore size, and high thermal stability, are expected to enhance visible-light absorption and charge recombination properties of BiVO4, thereby synergistically increasing photocatalytic performance and yielding a more efficient photocatalyst. In this study, bcl silica was synthesized using the reflux method, while BiVO4 was synthesized by the hydrothermal method. After successful synthesis of both materials, The next step was to decorate synthesized bcl silica using impregnation method. From SEM bcl silica particle size was between 550-650 nm, It was found that the BET surface area was up to 782 m2/g, while the pore volume and pore size was up to 1.12 cm3/g and 5.1 nm, respectively. The resulting material was characterized by photoluminescence (PL) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Raman spectroscopy, SEM, XRD, and DRS. Preliminary DRS results indicate a narrow bandgap, while Raman analysis confirms molecular vibrations. XRD provides information on the crystal structure and phase composition of BiVO4 synthesized- SEM shows that the bcl morphology of bcl silica was preserved.
