Bismuth Vanadate Encapsulated with Reduced Graphene Oxide: A Nanocomposite for Optimized Photocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Generation

The photocatalytic H2O2 production is a sustainable and eco-friendly process. Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4 or BVO) is a promising photocatalyst with a low band gap energy. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is known for promoting the transport of charges and preventing the recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. This study proposes a synthesis method based on an electrostatic self-assembly approach for functionalizing BVO with GO for photocatalytic H2O2 generation. Different amounts of GO loading on BVO have been taken to assess and optimize the quality of xrGO–BVO (where x = 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 wt %) composites for effective H2O2 generation. H2O2 shows stability under acidic conditions; hence, the effectivity of the xrGO–BVO was tested using acids with different strengths. 1rGO–BVO exhibited efficient H2O2 generation in the presence of oxalic acid, promoting two-electron O2 reduction reaction with a good cyclic stability. A photocatalytic flow reactor study has also been presented to assess the feasibility of continuous H2O2 generation.